


Dead on New Year's

by Missus_T



Category: Southern Vampire Mysteries - Charlaine Harris
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2009-10-28
Updated: 2009-10-28
Packaged: 2018-05-05 03:59:14
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 22
Words: 65,898
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5360243
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Missus_T/pseuds/Missus_T
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Eric invites Sookie to New Years at Fangtasia and danger and intrigue follow. Will their relationship withstand the vampire politics they're dragged into?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Lipstick and Limosuines

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own the Southern Vampires. Sole copyright belongs to Charlaine Harris. I just like to make them do what I want.  
> Timeframe: Post-From Dead to Worse
> 
> HUGE thanks to Northwomn for going through this whole story and betaing for me.

            I pulled into the driveway, appreciating the smooth ride thanks to Eric, and shook my head in disbelief. Someone had decorated a Christmas tree in my front yard and hung a holiday garland all along the front porch. Before I could really stop them, tears began rolling down my cheeks. It was Christmas Eve and I had just finished a double shift at Merlotte's. I had been working as much as I could to make up for the time off I had taken to help all the local vampires in all of their politicking and wars. and I hadn't had any time to decorate the house or do any of the holiday baking I loved to do.

            I was feeling a little sorry for myself as well, I mean I had given a lot to the local vamps and since Felipe came into town I hadn't heard from one of them. Anyway, back to the tree and the garland… Who put them there? Amelia and Octavia were on a cruise for the holidays, some witches retreat sort of thing. As I drove around the house I looked for another car, but whoever had come to play Santa was long gone.

            I sighed and headed into the house. When I stepped into the kitchen the most heavenly scents assaulted my nose. I blinked in surprise as my counters were lined with the most delicious treats I could imagine, some of the things I saw were divinity, pralines, pecan pie, sugar cookies, molasses cookies, and a gingerbread house that looked like it had been made by Ty and the Extreme Home Makeover team. What the? And then I saw a gift and note on the table. Written in his beautiful script was a note from Eric.

            Lover,  
 I have been very busy with the Nevada vampires but I could sense your sadness regarding the holidays. I borrowed your cookbook and Pam made the recipes she believed were your favorites. I would not allow her to make fruit cake.

            I hope you enjoyed the little bit of holiday spirit I left in the front yard as well. I will not be able to join you for Christmas day tomorrow, but want you to know I will be thinking of you. I would like to escort you to the New Year's celebration at Fangtasia.

            I will send a car for you at 9 p.m. Please, let us spend this New Year's Eve together, as we did the last, however under more pleasant circumstances.

            It was signed with only the letter E.

            That Pam. She had just begun to watch the Food Network two months previously and she already cooked like be a gourmet chef! I looked from the note to the box wondering if I should open it. I had a feeling I knew what it was, a sexy outfit for the New Year's party, and I wasn't sure I was ready to open it. I wasn't sure I was ready to go to the party. I mean, was this all I was going to hear from Eric before New Year's Eve? It'd been six weeks for Pete's sake! What if I had plans for New Year's, or if I had to work? That would serve him right.

            The only problem was that I didn't. I didn't have plans and Sam wouldn't let me work. His rule was if you worked New Year's last year, you didn't work this year. And no matter how I explained to him that I didn't have other plans, he wasn't budging. He told me I could come and sit at the bar as a customer, but I wasn't working on New Year's.

            So…I could stay at home alone, go to my work for the night, or go to Fangtasia with my blood bonded even though I wasn't sure I wanted to talk to him. I still had feelings for him, too many probably. The blood bond made sure of that. I didn't know how much of what I felt was the bond and how much of it was me, but I knew that I'd cared for him before the bond and I wasn't sure I'd ever be able to tell the difference.

            While we were apart, I had truly missed him though. I missed the Eric who had stayed with me and the one that I knew was inside of the vampire sheriff somewhere. But after six weeks, I was feeling neglected and was considering giving the man a taste of his own medicine. He had a state of the art cell phone and was constantly texting the other sheriffs in the region – but he couldn't text me or call me over the last few weeks? I couldn't think about it. I was exhausted and went to bed. I would be spending my Christmas with Sam eating deep fried turkey and watching movies; I would worry about Eric and New Year's later.

            On the thirtieth of December, I figured I had better open Eric's gift and truly decide what I was going to do. I had been procrastinating (I got another word-of-the-day-calendar, from Sam this year) even thinking about New Year's, but since Eric was sending a car, I knew I should figure out what I was going to do. The box was intricately wrapped with thick silvery paper and had a huge, beautiful, red bow on it. I carefully untied the bow and slit the tape with my fingernail hoping I could save the paper to re-use. Gran had taught me how to iron wrapping paper to flatten it back out, and this paper was too good to crumple up and throw away. I took a deep breath and slowly opened up the box.

            My breath froze in my lungs. I just stood there with my eyes wide open. It was the most beautiful dress I had ever seen! And, oh-crap, I had left it folded up in this box for almost a week! It was black and silver satin, almost the color of smoke. I held it up and it just got better. The bottom was surrounded by varying lengths of black bugle beads forming an uneven curtain that fell just below my knees. The beading continued up the dress, but lessened as it moved up the gown, so the dress was blacker at the bottom and more smoky silver at the top. It had spaghetti straps and a cute scoop neck so it wasn't too revealing. It was like a modern version of a flapper dress, and it would look perfect on me. In the box, I also found a black shawl; I guessed he didn't want me to wear the one from Alcide, and a black necklace that would match perfectly.

            I hung the dress on the back of the closet door for a better look, and thought about what I should do. Eric and I were bonded and I had been feeling miserable without seeing or talking to him. I couldn't figure out how much of it was the bond or if I truly missed him, but I did miss him. I missed him so much it hurt. Since Eric had remembered what happened between us in the days following last New Year's Eve, we hadn't had a moment to talk and I wasn't sure I wanted to. He seemed to really need to think things over and I felt like if he remembered or if he felt the way I had during our time together, and even our time apart, then I didn't know what he was thinking about.

            I sighed, if my life didn't take any more crazy turns in the next year, hey, a girl can dream, I would be working at Merlotte's next New Year's. I was starting to think maybe I should go to Fangtasia. It would be a huge night there, Eric wouldn't likely have a lot of time to spend with me and hopefully we could avoid any awkward conversations. I realized my mind was made up when I began rummaging in the closet for my black bodyshaper lingerie and my favorite black heels.

            New Year's Eve came and I was primped and prepped, waiting at 8:45 p.m. for my ride. Drinking a gin and tonic to relax, I was feeling a little giddy. I had taken to calling my ride the vampmobile. I didn't know if Eric was coming himself, or sending a driver, so I was making silly jokes about it to myself. Was it a bad sign that I was talking to myself? It was going to be a long night. Then I heard the gravel crunching and looked out to see, not the red Corvette, but a beautiful stretch limousine pulling down the driveway. Thank you again to Eric for re-graveling the driveway, or the driver would have been cursing me six ways to Sunday.

            As I started down the stairs, the back door of the limo opened and I froze. Eric stepped out of the car and his beautiful blue eyes focused on me. He was wearing the most amazing outfit. I actually licked my lips as I took it in. Soft black leather pants caressed his gorgeous long legs. His best assets were covered, however, by an oversized dark red linen tunic that was belted at the waist. There was a sword at his hip held in place by the belt. The hilt was jeweled, yet it was very obviously made to be used. His hair was loose except for two small braids, one on each side of his face. Eric looked perfectly at home in this outfit. He looked almost alive.

            I stood still, and just stared into his eyes. I felt the reassurance that he cared for me and that he remembered what we had shared. I also felt uncertainty. I knew we would have to talk, but I wanted to pretend we didn't. He looked me up and down and I could feel my body react immediately.

            "Lover," he said with a grin, "I knew that gown would look amazing on you."

            I could feel the bond between us. It was warm and comforting, like a fireplace on a cold wintry day. I took a deep breath to recover and continued down the steps.

            "Thank you," I said dipping my eyes sheepishly, "You look great, too. I've never seen you dressed like this."

            With a smile he said, "New Year's for vampires is a time to celebrate our past and our heritage. Many of us like to wear clothing representing the time we lived in. It is a salute to our ancestors. You will see many vampires dressed in period clothing tonight, yet some cannot bear to be reminded of their humanity and will wear tuxedos or fashionable suits this evening."

            He leaned forward to kiss me. Oh that Viking and his 1,000 years of practice. He was dazzling. Irresistible. As his tongue danced across my lips, he put his arms around me. A hand in my hair, a hand on my hip…I was lost, or was I found? I wrapped my arms around him and gave myself to the kiss. When I began to feel light headed, I realized I needed to breathe. I pulled myself out of the kiss with a sigh and Eric groaned.

            "Lover, I have missed you."

            I smiled and laughed, "What have you missed?" Oh Lord, was that me?

            Eric chuckled. "I have missed everything about you, Sookie. Have you missed me?"

            Still wrapped in his arms, I could feel just how much he had missed me, as I'm sure he could tell from my response to his kiss that I had missed him. Not to mention the fact that because I was so weak in the knees, I was leaning on his chest to stand.

            I sighed, Eric made me sigh a lot. "Yes, I've missed you. And I was worried. It's been weeks, couldn't you have called, or texted me, or something?"

            "Sookie, I was busy with the king. I've been giving his entourage tours and introducing them to the local community."

            "But-" I started to interrupt.

            "No buts," he said firmly, "I know you are not interested in our politics, but I could not contact you until the king's party had left town. I did not want anyone to see us together."

            That didn't go over well, and Eric could sense how extremely pissed off I was getting.

            "Lover, the king may know of our bond...but what is between us...it's not common. It was safer to keep my distance while they were here. I did not call or visit because I was protecting you. People have been exiled and executed during the king's visit. It has not been a vacation, believe me. I have been lonely and miserable, and Pam is hardly speaking to me. She said if you did not come to the party tonight she was going to run away and join the circus. Whatever that means."

            I was not entirely sold on the idea, but I knew he was probably telling the truth. The thought of exiles and executions gave me the shivers, but the idea of Pam joining the circus put me over the edge. I laughed and hugged Eric to me.

            "Oh, Eric," I said, "I've been lonely and miserable, too. Thank you for the Christmas tree and all of the baking. And thank you for this wonderful dress." I started to rub my hands down his smooth back. "I know that we have things to talk about, but can we just let it wait until after tonight? I just need to be close to you and have one night of happiness."

            Eric cocked his eyebrow the way he does, and gave me a sweet kiss on the lips. He grinned and quietly said, "What makes you think talking won't lead to happiness?"

            Before I could react he grabbed my hand to help me into the car saying, "Come, Lover. Let's go to the party and celebrate with our friends. I will grant you a night of happiness and we will talk another time. I will hold you to it."

            As we rode to Shreveport, Eric poured me some champagne and just let me snuggle with him. He had his long arm around me and I leaned my head on his shoulder. I was so relaxed just being with him.

            I sighed, "I had no idea how much I missed you."

            Eric laughed at that. "Damn blood bond, right?" he asked.

            I had to laugh, too. He knew I was thinking it.

            "Yeah," I said, "Damn blood bond."

            Eric leaned forward and set my champagne glass on the bar, it had these amazing little cup rack things to hold the champagne flutes. Hey, I don't ride in limos a lot; I'm easily entertained. He sat back and turned his head to look into my eyes. There were times when Eric looked at me that I thought he could see into my soul. His eyes were so crystal clear; I felt like I could really see Eric when I looked into them like that.

            He put his hands in my hair and pulled me into a kiss. At first the kiss was soft and sweet and oh-how-I've-missed-you, but suddenly we both felt it become much more. Eric's magic tongue was dancing with mine and his hands were everywhere. I was trying to remove his belt so I could run my hands up his chest. His hands found my nipples and I began to lose all reason. He was kissing down my neck and rubbing the satin of my dress across my nipples in the most delicious circles. I could hardly make my hands work to continue with his belt.

            As he continued kissing me senseless, his tongue finding a rhythm that made me wish for more, he lifted me off the seat so that I was lying across him. This allowed him to raise my dress to my waist and I groaned as he ran his hands up my legs. He pulled his head back and our eyes met. I know Eric liked me to watch, and right now I couldn't have done anything else. He lowered his head to my tiny underwear and planted a kiss just above the waistband.

            He smiled. "You don't need these," he said as he yanked them off.

            I gasped a little, surprised at how hot it was to have Eric tear my panties off. I had a brief thought that I didn't want him to tear my dress too, and then he was touching me. I felt him blow gently over my most intimate areas and heard his moan as he spread my legs with his hands running up my thighs. He took one long lick up my center and hissed with contentment. I began to shake, my body knowing this was only the beginning. He licked and teased and began to rub circles around my clit. We were stretched out on the leather seat and I had one hand in his hair and one on my own breast. I was kneading and massaging myself along with his touch, taking myself even higher.

            Eric saw what I was doing and grinned as he slid two fingers inside me and reached forward as he began to stroke me. My body bucked from his touch and I was crushing my own breast. I felt like I was going to lose control and I moaned, loudly. Eric found a rhythm with his fingers and moved his mouth to my clit. He sucked it between his teeth and I came so hard that Eric put his hand on my stomach to keep me from falling off the seat. My muscles were pulsing around his fingers, contracting and releasing, and he just kept up the pace. I was pulling at his hair to bring him back to my mouth but he would not budge. Seconds later, I was going over the edge again. By now I was shouting his name and a string of oh-god-oh-gods that lasted the course of the orgasm.

            While I was still enjoying the aftershocks, Eric moved up for a kiss. I could taste myself on his lips and feel his pleasure through the bond. As I reached for his belt and his pants I realized something was different.

            "Ummm… we're not moving."

            He laughed and began to run his hand down my stomach again.

            "No, the car."

            He stopped and looked at me with a grin.

            "I told the driver to pull into the back lot and I would let him know when we were ready to go inside." He was kissing my neck and swirling his tongue around my ear. "But we're not nearly ready, are we, Lover?"

            I looked into his eyes and knew I wanted to stay in his arms forever, but I also knew I did not want to have sex with him in the back parking lot of Fangtasia. I kissed him slowly, and eased myself up to a sitting position.

            "I think we need to consider this unfinished business."

            He was playing with my hair and leaning forward to kiss me again.

            "No, Eric. I want to go to the party and I'd like to use the front door. We both know we'll never make it inside if we go any farther."

            He sighed and leaned forward to kiss me even with my hands pushing against his chest, because really I would never be strong enough to stop him. He deepened the kiss and set his tongue to an erotic pace that I could not mistake as anything but fucking.

            I pulled away and told him, "I really mean it." It came out as more of a whisper, but still I managed to say it.

            He made a huffing noise and sat back on the seat. We began straightening our clothes and I realized I had probably destroyed my up-do. Luckily the divider that separated us from the driver was mirrored, so I was able to do some emergency repairs. I replaced my completely missing lipstick and decided I was presentable. Eric pressed a button and asked the driver to deliver us to the front of the building.


	2. A Surprise Performance

            Eric stepped out of the car and put his sword through his belt. I could tell by the way he hefted it that it was quite heavy. He reached back in the car for my hand, and I stepped out to see a thirty foot long red carpet leading to Fangtasia. There was always a small roped off area for the line of fangbangers, etc. trying to get it, but tonight it was a velvet roped red carpet.

            Eric tucked my hand behind his elbow, winked at me, and walked me to the entrance. At the door stood the biggest, meanest looking man I had ever seen. He was huge, totally bald, and had these gigantic bushy black eyebrows with piercing dark eyes.

            Eric stopped in front of him and inclined his head, "Ivan, this is Sookie. Do you remember your instructions?" Ivan nodded. Eric narrowed his eyes, "What are the instructions?"

            Ivan swallowed and actually began to blush. In a strong Russian accent he began, "I…proteck…vith Ivan…life."

            Eric nodded, "Very good. And your English is getting better, as well."

            I looked at Eric strangely as he pulled me into the building and then I laughed.

            He stopped and looked back at me. "What, Lover?"

            I grinned. "Why Eric Northman, you brought home a stray."

            He shrugged. "I guess I did."

            I chuckled. "It's your turn."

            He looked confused.

            "To say it," I continued. He had a blank look on his face, and I just grinned. "Damn blood bond."

            At that, Eric threw back his head and barked with laughter. I'm quite sure he frightened a couple of fangbangers standing near by.

            He smiled at me again, with his beautiful eyes twinkling. "That seems to explain it."

            Leading me into the bar, we met Pam, who was dressed like, for lack of better words, a sexy Mary Poppins. She had on a long sleeved, dark green gown with black accents that had a belled skirt and a very low neckline that showed a lot of décolletage (word-of-the-day, a French word even!).

            Pam grinned at me. "Sookie, how good of you to join us. I didn't really want to join the circus, but I'm not sure I could have stayed much longer."

            I smiled back and gave her a quick hug. "You look fabulous, Pam. Thank you for doing my holiday baking. You chose all of my favorite recipes. Everything was wonderful." I pulled back from her and said, with all seriousness, "Exactly what were you going to do in the circus?"

            Eric groaned and Pam smiled. "The high-wire act. No one really need know that I have perfect balance and couldn't die if I fell. I would just impressively go for a quick walk in front of a huge crowd once or twice a night." She winked. "I thought it all out."

            Eric narrowed his eyes. "You know you can still go. I wouldn't want to deprive you."

            She looked straight back at him, "Oh no, with Sookie around again it will be way too much fun here. Someone is bound to attack us soon." I gasped a little. "Sweet girl," she said, "You keep it interesting around here."

            Eric was shaking his head, "Come, Lover. Let's leave her to her childishness." He glanced at Pam once more and we moved in to the party.

            As I looked around, I saw a wide array of clothing. There were people dressed in styles from many different time periods and a fair amount of people in modern clothes as well. I saw a giant of a man at the bar with flaming red hair dressed in full Highland regalia. He had on a beautiful plaid kilt with a sporran made of some kind of pelt at his waist. There were soldiers, or perhaps I should call them veterans, from several wars, samurais and a few women that looked like geishas. There were a number of people in what Gran would call homespun, that really defied being identified as any specific time period.

            Eric nodded at a few people as he led me through the bar. At first I didn't recognize anyone, and then I saw Bill. He was wearing a tuxedo, and he was wearing it well. He was my ex, but he was my first, in many senses of the word; my first love, my first lover and not my first, but my worst, heartbreak.

            Eric seemed to feel that I noticed Bill. "You may talk to him, if you must."

            "Oh, may I?" I harrumphed a little and walked towards my ex. It wasn't so much that I wanted to talk to him, but I knew I should be polite and say hello, and I would much rather do it on my terms than Bill's.

            Bill knew I was walking towards him the way he always did. Even without being bonded, he seemed to have some kind of radar for me. A smile lit his entire face, a look I had rarely seen on him, and then it vanished and his face was blank.

            I realized Eric was right behind me, but even if he hadn't been on my heels Bill would have smelled him all over me. I pretended Eric wasn't stalking behind me, laying claim, and gave Bill a small smile. He sighed and whispered that I looked great.

            Eric growled and I saw a little bit of fang showing, so I stepped back. Bill was pushing his luck, with both of us, but I said, "You look dashing this evening. How have you been?"

            "Thank you, Sookie. I have been well. Eric kept me busy with the king and his entourage and I have been working on selling my database." He glanced at Eric, who was not even pretending to give us privacy. "I didn't realize you would be here tonight."

            Eric's eyes narrowed and I heard another growl deep in his throat. "I told you I was inviting her, Compton. Did you think she would refuse?"

            Bill almost stuttered, "I, well, no. I didn't think Sookie wanted to be involved in vampire politics and our world anymore."

            Eric opened his mouth to speak and I put my hand on his chest.

            I turned sideways and looked Eric in the eyes although I was addressing Bill. "I don't want to be involved in the politics, but we are bonded. I'm not entirely sure what that means yet, but I was promised a nice evening with no discussion of our future. I'm glad to be here and," I finally looked at Bill, "If you can't accept that, we'll move on and mingle with some other friends."

            I felt Eric's approval through the bond and I felt Bill's simmering glare.

            "I worry for you, Sookie. But you are right; tonight is for celebration. I am glad you are here, no matter the circumstances." He bowed graciously towards me, and I saw Eric sneer a little in disgust, but he kept his comments to himself.

            Eric took my arm and led me away from Bill. I knew we were moving to his booth in the corner. It wasn't my idea of mingling, but I suppose as a 1,000 year old vampire, mingling meant that people came to you.

            As we walked I could sense a few fangbangers looking at us. I heard their thoughts.

            "She's back?"  
 "I thought that bitch was history."  
 "She's not wild enough for him."  
 "If I could just get him alone, he'd dump the blond."

            I was feeling a little possessive after my speech to Bill, and before he helped me into the booth I stopped him. I looked Eric in the eyes and he cocked his head as if unsure. I put my hands in his hair and leaned in so my lips were just below his ear.

            "I meant what I said Eric, I don't know what all of this means for us. But know this," I licked his ear and had his full attention. "For now, you are mine."

            Our eyes were locked and he groaned a little as I sucked gently on his earlobe before moving to kiss him full on the lips. He slid his hands to my ass and pressed me against him. I could feel his length along my stomach, and couldn't resist giving him a little grind. Heat was pooling between my legs. We were both moaning and I was twisting his hair because I was pulling him towards me with all of my strength.

            He pulled back and his eyes looked drugged. "Lover, you are playing with fire."

            I smiled. "No, I am letting all of those fangbangers know that you will go home with me tonight."

            He leaned forward and kissed my neck where my pulse beat. "Those women are trash. They have nothing to do with us."

            He kissed my lips gently and I would have gone anywhere and done anything with him. He looked at me again for a long moment, and I could sense his mental headshake. His eyes cleared and his mouth lifted into a wicked grin. "Now let's sit down before we miss the show."

            I had no idea what he was talking about. There was a vamp band on stage and that I could have cared less about.

            He sensed my confusion, or lack of interest. "You'll see, Lover. It's not to be missed."

            A waitress brought us drinks, a TrueBlood for Eric and gin and tonic for me. I glanced at the bar and saw Felicia, who gave me a salute and continued getting drinks for the thirsty patrons. I looked around the bar which had really filled up. It looked a little like a costume party with many different styles of clothing mixed in among the crowd. The band took a break, promising they would be back with a special guest. Many of the vamps cheered and others looked as unimpressed as I did. I guess I would have to wait for the show to find out what the fuss was about.

            Vamps were stopping by to say hello to Eric, I was nodding as expected and smiled at those I knew, but took everything in around us. There were bottles of champagne on several tables, but of course the vamps were drinking blood in champagne flutes.

            After about a half an hour, the band came back on stage. They began to tune up their instruments, and the lead singer stepped forward. "Good evening. It is an honor and a privilege for us to be here tonight playing for the second year in a row with this man. He needs no introductions, and you all know the rules." He glanced to the side of the stage, grinning from ear to ear. "Enjoy."

            Bubba took the stage dressed in the white eagle jumpsuit. You know the one with the red, blue and gold beading of eagles on it? It was on display at his home; I had toured it on my senior trip to Memphis.

            My mouth fell open. I could not believe my eyes. "What the?" I looked at Eric and he just grinned.

            "He volunteered last year. He thinks he is doing a tribute of music that was popular when he was alive. He has no idea all of the songs were really his."

            I was still shaking my head in disbelief. "Eric, what if someone says his name, won't he be upset? I mean, that could be bad."

            Bubba was singing "Hound Dog" and Eric was still smiling.

            "Everyone here knows the rules, and Ivan is standing by to grab Bubba should there be any problems. Last year was wonderful, and he said he wanted to do it again. I promised him some special cat treats as a thank you."

            My stomach turned a little at the mention of cat treats, because I knew he actually meant cats, as treats. But the opportunity to hear the King live, well, un-dead, on stage was too much and I settled in to listen.

            Bubba had almost finished his set when my cell phone rang. I tried to ignore it, and Eric seemed to understand. He pulled it out of my evening bag and glanced at the caller ID. Frowning, he flipped open my phone.

            I was a little shocked he would just answer it, and then he said, "What the fuck are you doing calling my woman on New Year's Eve?"

            Ok, now I was flabbergasted. I tried to take the phone from Eric and he managed to grab both of my hands in one of his and hold them away. I could only hear his side of the conversation.

            "Of course she is with me…Well, you found me…Yes…Is this from a reputable source?... When?...I'll call you when we've discussed this…You have my word…You will not stand alone….No, she doesn't want to speak to you."

            And he clicked my phone shut and glanced at Pam, who was already moving towards us. He made a circular motion with his fingers like he was rounding up his troops and grabbed my hand to lead me out of the booth.

            "Ummm, who didn't I want to speak to?"

            He continued pulling me towards the hallway that went to his office, "The Were," he growled.

            "Um, which Were?"

            He looked at me for a second, "I forget you are tangled up with so many unsavory characters. It was Alcide," he said with obvious distaste. "There is word of an attack against the Weres and Fangtasia. I must speak to Pam and Bill, will you join us, Lover?"


	3. Rallying the Troops

            As we entered the office Eric nodded at Ivan standing at the door and said, "Igor."

            I gasped a little at his mistake and whispered, "Ivan."

            Eric looked at me strangely for a second, and then chuckled. "Twins," he said. "That's Igor."

            I looked again, but the gaurd looked exactly like Ivan to me.

            Eric was still smiling. "The only difference is that Igor does not speak."

            I sat on the couch and Eric made several quick calls on his cell phone, speaking quickly and quietly so I still had no idea what was going on. Bill joined us with Pam, while Igor remained outside the door, protecting us and keeping an eye on Bubba.

            I was still in a strange state of suspended belief that I had heard Bubba perform. No one else seemed really that awestruck, and they were ready to discuss the impending attack. I was glad I had just gotten a refill on my G & T, I had a feeling I was going to need it. It was just now 10 p.m., we had two hours until New Year's and about four hours to prepare for whatever battle lay ahead.

            Eric looked from Pam to Bill. "I'm sorry to call you away from the party. I received an interesting phone call from Packmaster Herveaux a few moments ago. He has a tip that there are several raids planned by the King of Florida. Apparently, Lars thinks we are vulnerable because our King has not taken residence here, and he is targeting the three most powerful Sheriffs in Louisiana."

            Bill looked thoughtful. "What does that have to do with the pack?"

            "Apparently, Lars knows we have worked together before. What is it you say Sookie?" He paused, "They have our back?"

            I nodded.

            "He thinks simultaneous attacks on all three areas and the Shreveport Were pack will be enough to throw off the power balance so he can take over."

            "What of Brandon and Itzel?" Pam asked. I guessed those were the two other targeted Sheriffs.

            "I just called them. Itzel is in Mexico for the holiday. I spoke to Jerome, her second, and I spoke to Brandon briefly. They were both hosting parties as well and needed to get to safe phone lines. We will call them again after we've established a plan."

            I had been listening quietly, but felt there were some details missing. "Where and when are these attacks supposed to take place? How does Alcide know all of this and how would they catch the pack all together, or is he another target?" I thought Eric might be upset at me for speaking up, but he seemed pleased I was getting involved.

            "One of the Alcide's cousins does security at a Supe bar in Jacksonville. At dusk tonight, he overheard Lars talking with some Florida Weres about Shreveport and began to pay closer attention. They are planning to attack our businesses. Brandon owns a bar in Lafayette called Longnecks and Itzel has a banquet center called Timeless outside of Baton Rouge. They will attack later tonight when our parties end. They assume we'll be too tired and distracted from celebrating to protect our assets. The Weres are having their own party in town tonight. Again, Lars thinks they will not be on guard."

            Everyone seemed to think things over for a moment.

            Pam leaned forward and her fangs ran out, "How do you plan to punish them?"

            I laughed to myself. Not how will we defeat them, but punish them. Vampires are so cocky.

            Eric had his hands tented in front of his mouth while he thought. "I believe a group of us will need to leave after midnight so we can be out of the way and it will appear that we have no idea what is going on and we are leaving the fort unguarded, as they say. We will regroup a distance away and prepare to ambush. We will attack from both sides when they make their move and scare the hell out of them. Lars was always too cocksure for his own good."

            Bill hesitated. "I hate to ask, but how will we help the Weres?"

            Eric snorted a little. "I would like to say they are on their own, but Alcide brought this to our attention, and Sookie is a friend of the pack. I think we will make them aware of our plan. Their party is in the warehouse district and there is plenty of room for them to make the same sort of ambush. They will need to make sure that some of their strongest fighters are on each side of the attack just as we will. Their party was catered by Quinn's company. The tiger is there with a number of other Weres and Supes on his staff, they will help. I think Lars has no idea of the capabilities of the Were population we have. I should like to watch that fight, but I suppose," he winked at me, "I will be busy."

            Bill nodded and both he and Pam stood as if ready to leave. She looked at Eric and asked simply, "What do you need of me?"

            "Please call Brandon and Jerome. Be sure they understand the seriousness of the threat and that we cannot assist them."

            Pam nodded and left without a word. Eric changed his attention on Bill. "Compton, please speak to some of our influential friends in the bar; Titus, Chan, Enrique, the Scot. You know the ones. I will need a strong group to leave with us shortly and another group prepared to defend from inside the bar." He looked at me longingly, and then focused on Bill again, "Now, leave. I need to speak with Sookie. I will find you when we are finished."

            Bill left and with a quick look over his shoulder at me, he closed the door.

            "Lover, give me one minute to call the Were. I must tell him our plan."

            I nodded and waited while he made the call. I was sitting on Eric's long black leather couch and wiped my hands over my face. When I moved my hands away, Eric's face was right in front of mine. I knew he was searching the bond to see what I was thinking or feeling.

            Through clenched teeth I heard, "This is not your fault."

            I sighed a little, but looked down with doubt. "I know it's unrealistic, but you were at peace until tonight. I'm not even here one full night and you're under attack."

            He put his hands in my hair and held my head so that I had to look at him. "This has nothing to do with you. It is Lars being a power hungry bastard. Sookie, I am sorry that it is ruining our evening." He gently kissed my lips and ran the back of his hand along my collar bone. "I would give up everything to spare you being involved with this. I know you don't believe me, but I would, for you."

            I kissed him back, gently again, and sighed a little, I sighed a lot when I was with him. "Oh, Eric. You wouldn't be happy if you gave up all of this. I know that." I smiled at him, "I still don't want to talk about all of this tonight."

            "Sookie."

            "No. You promised me not tonight. And," I think I started to blush, "If something were to happen tonight, I don't want my last memory to be of us talking."

            I kissed him again; this time there was no gentleness. I was feeling possessive again. He was my Viking, and he was going to go into battle. Eric responded in kind. He was kissing me back and pushing the fabric of my dress up around my waist. I was trying to reach his belt. He ran his hands up my thighs and cupped me. I gasped a little, forgetting I had lost my underwear in the limo. I was hot and ready and still struggling to get his damn old fashioned belt off when he pushed me back on the couch.

            He was looming over me like an animal ready to devour his prey. His palm pressed against me and my body knew it was a tease. He kissed me and leaned in to lick my neck. I was moaning and moving against his hand. He lightly kissed my breasts through my dress and moved to my center. I was watching him, almost mesmerized, when he blew a hot breath on my smooth wet core.

            "I will never get enough of you."

            I bit my lip, his words fueling my desire. He made love to me with his mouth, stroking and drinking until I was at the edge of release. His eyes locked on mine, as he slowly inserted two fingers and then pulled them out even slower. He continued with the slow and lazy movements and began pressing my most sensitive spot with his thumb. It didn't take long for me to start screaming his name and struggling to breathe. When I felt I couldn't take anymore, he took over with his mouth again and I shattered. While my body was still quaking, he moved his mouth to bite my thigh and I came all over again. Thankfully the music was so loud that no one could hear my screams. Aw hell, the vampires probably could. I didn't really care at that point.

            I was still gasping for breath when he rose up over me. He put his fingers in his mouth, slowly withdrawing them with a smile of satisfaction, and I thought I would die. He kissed me and I could smell and taste myself on his skin and in his mouth. Somehow he had removed his belt without my help and his pants were simply tied at the waist. He pulled the string and freed himself while we were kissing and his arousal pressed against my stomach. He rubbed against me and I tried to grab him to direct him where I needed him most. He grinned a little and made another long, slow, agonizing stroke. I whimpered and he moaned, then he filled me with one long stroke.

            He locked eyes with me again, that was his thing and I had to admit it was pretty sexy. I had forgotten how complete I felt with him inside me. I almost whined when he began to pull out, but I knew it was only so he could enter me again. He growled and I knew he couldn't control himself much longer. He made a couple of long strokes and then he lost it.

            He was almost snarling and bearing his fangs as he pounded into me. He continued thrusting and breathed my name, "Sookie."

            I dug my nails into his back and came. He moved one of my legs up over his shoulder and with a couple more powerful strokes, he closed his eyes and I could feel him releasing inside of me.

            He put his head on my forehead and looked into my eyes. "Lover, you never cease to amaze me."

            I laughed. "Right back at ya, Viking."

            He moved a little inside of me and I could tell he was ready, already, again.

            "This is my favorite part of preparing for battle, Lover," he sighed.

            His pulled out of me and I groaned. He laughed and gave me a quick kiss before moving me to where he wanted, leaning over the arm of the couch.

            He ran a finger down my spine and began slowly rubbing me with the tip of his cock. He moved his free hand to crush my breast and then slammed into me like a freight train. This was not going to be gentle. He was only one man, but he was everywhere. He moved his other hand around to the front of me, so he was massaging my breast and my core and slamming me from behind. I felt him moving inside of me and his sac slapping against me, it was overwhelming. I couldn't do anything but push back against him and try to maintain some sort of balance. He timed his thrusts so that just as he leaned forward and sunk his fangs into my shoulder; he pushed into me to the hilt. I was undone. I couldn't hold myself up and I was actually crying from the force of my orgasm. My body was milking him as he thrust and pulled me against him like we couldn't get close enough. With a snarl, he locked my body against him and came in waves.

            I was breathing hard and wiping tears from my face. Eric's eyes were glazed over a little and he was resting all of his weight on me. It didn't help my breathing. After a second, he picked me up and moved us so I was laying on him on the couch. I had to blink my eyes to regain their focus.

            "You're going to have the energy to fight after that?"

            He laughed. I loved it when we were lying like this and he laughed. I could feel his chest rumble and see the twinkle in his eyes.

            "I'll have time to regain my strength; we don't expect the attack for several hours," he laughed, "but thank you for your concern, Lover."

            We stayed like that for a few minutes and I sat up to look him in the eyes. "Eric, I don't know what all of this means for us. All I know is that this is exactly where I want to be."

            He was looking back at me with longing and what could have been love, but we were so not having that conversation tonight. "Lover, I would have you at my side at all times."

            I felt myself getting misty eyed. "Eric, I."

            Oh Lord, was I going to say it? I was blinking back tears and shaking my head a little, "I think it would destroy me if something happened to you."

            He kissed me gently. "Lover, nothing will happen to me. I have fought too many battles to count and I am still here. It touches my heart to know you care, and I will do all that I can to come back to you."

            I laid my head back down with a sigh and just rested, running my hands through his hair. I'm not sure how long we stayed like that, but eventually Eric sat up a little to kiss me on the lips again.

            He sighed and ran his hands over my back. "Lover, I need to speak to some friends in the bar to be sure we are prepared for the fight." He looked at me rather searchingly, and I smiled back.

            "Let me straighten up and I'll go out there with you." I was afraid he didn't want me to listen in when he talked with some of the vamps I didn't know, so I said, "I'll just get a drink and sit at the bar."

            He raised that delicious eyebrow. "I told you I would have you at my side at all times, Lover. You do not have to sit at the bar."

            I straightened my dress and hair and fixed my lipstick for the second time since leaving home with Eric. We opened the door to go back into the bar and I realized Igor was still standing there. I gasped a little and blushed, wondering what all he had heard with his vampire hearing. I knew, that in reality though, he had heard it all.

            Eric just laughed and took my hand and led me into the bar. Heads turned and everyone looked at Eric, apparently Bill and Pam had been spreading the word. He gave a curt nod to the whole group and moved towards Pam. A waitress immediately brought me a gin and tonic and Eric a perfectly warmed blood.

            Pam nodded at Eric and told him the phone calls had been made and that the other Sheriffs were ready as well. He nodded.

            "Thank you, Pam. I will meet you at the rendezvous point around 1:30."

            She nodded again, and Eric moved us farther into the bar. We actually mingled this time, walking around so Eric could speak to everyone he needed to. There were a lot of vamps I didn't know at the party, and Eric was introducing me to many of them. It was kind of freaky though, many of them smiled and said they'd heard so much about me, and I hadn't heard anything about them. I could really just smile and nod a lot, so I hoped I wasn't making a complete ass out of myself.

            When we walked up to the giant Scot, I could feel my heart beating a little faster. See, I've read this series of books with an amazing Highland Scot character. Plus I'm a huge fan of the Highlander movies. I knew the accent was going to bowl me over, but so help me, if this guy said his name was Jamie Fraser, or said something like "There can be only one," I would probably come instantly, thanks to Eric getting me all sexed up, and faint on the spot.

            Seriously, you've got to read the books to understand, but anyway, we approached the Scot and he nodded at us.

            "Viking, Lass."

            Eric nodded back. "Scot. I believe you've heard about the impending battle."

            He nodded again. "Aye. Where do you need me?"

            Oh sweet mother of all that's holy, he did have an accent. I was trying not to stare and drool. So much for not making an ass of myself.

            Eric didn't seem to notice, and kept talking to the man.

            "I need you to stay here, Bran. They plan to attack as guests are leaving the club. I'd like you to be the first one out the door."

            He nodded. "Aye."

            There was a lot of nodding going on between these two, apparently Bran was a man of few words, which was better for me.

            Then he looked at me very intently, cocked his head and looked back at Eric, "Your lassie, she's part fae, no?"

            Oh crap, that wasn't good. But Eric smiled, although he did not confirm or deny anything.

            The Scot smiled back. "Take good care of her, aye? The fae magick is to be protected." He paused and went on, "I'll be your lead man, Eric and I want Chan nearby. Two swords are better than one, no?"

            Eric nodded one last time and we walked away.

            "Lover," he laughed, "you need to stop reading those books of yours."

            I was shocked. "You knew? I didn't think you knew!"

            He laughed again, pulling me into his arms and began kissing me just below my ear. "I could feel your desire through the bond," he whispered. "And I've seen those damn books around your house. Amelia told me you ordered them on CD so you could hear them read with an accent."

            He kissed me where my pulse beat on my neck.

            "Eric," I sighed.

            "I would be jealous, but I know it's only a fantasy. And besides, I've known him for centuries, Bran is very much in love with his mate. He would never stray."

            He moved back to my lips and gave my lower lip a little bite while grabbing my ass and rubbing his length against me.

            "I'm going enjoy fucking you over and over and making you scream my name until those fantasies mean nothing and all you can think of is me."

            I was barely breathing. "I think you just took care of that."

            He laughed. "Oh, you're not off the hook so easily, Lover. Come, I still have some people to speak with and it's almost midnight."

            Eric finished making his rounds with a couple of minutes to spare before the clock struck twelve. A waitress brought me champagne and gave Eric another blood. We stepped onto the dance floor and the band began to play an old song. It was kind of perfect for the vamps, Time in a Bottle by Jim Croce.

            If I could save time in a bottle  
 The first thing that I'd like to do  
 Is to save every day  
 Till eternity passes away  
 Just to spend them with you

            Eric and I were slow dancing and people were migrating to the dance floor for the big moment. I loved the feel of our bodies lightly pressed together and his hands making circles on my lower back. Eric had actually been humming along to the song, which made me chuckle. He didn't have anything like this on his playlist, but I supposed he was alive when Croce was at his most popular.

            As the song ended Eric moved back a little so we were looking at each other. The last lines of the song played, and Eric spoke the words along with the music.

            I've looked around enough to know  
 That you're the one I want to go  
 Through time with

            Before I could say anything, he kissed me. It was lazy and sweet and full of promise.

            While were kissing, I heard everyone around us begin counting down. When they reached zero, balloons were released from a net on the ceiling and confetti fell all around us. The band played Auld Lang Syne but Eric and I just kept holding each other and kissing sweetly.

            When we finally separated, I was looking into his beautiful eyes.

            He shook his head slightly. "No words, Lover. We won't speak of it tonight, but the song was just too perfect."

            He grinned and vamps were still hugging each other (how weird was that?) and saying "Happy New Year!" I heard it in several languages; French, Spanish, even Italian. I realized that hanging out with vamps was exposing me to quite an international mix of cultures.

            The band broke into some good old rock and roll, and I made Eric stay out on the floor to dance with me. He was a good dancer and the crowd left a little circle of space around us out of respect for him, so we had plenty of room to get down. We did some old fashioned dips and spins and I moved in to do some bootie shaking that made Eric show a little fang. We stayed out there for a few songs, but I knew we needed to get ready to leave.

            Eventually we headed to the bar, where Eric said a couple of last minute things to Bill and Pam, ensuring that vamps would be leaving in small groups over the next hour or so and regrouping to be ready when the bar closed at 2:30.

            We made it to the door, and Eric signaled Ivan to call for the car. I had a quick thought that made me smile, and I turned to run my hands up Eric's back. He put his arms around me as if to just give me a hug and I laughed. I grabbed his ass and started kissing him like my life depended on it. I began grinding myself against him and he began kissing me back, thrusting his tongue into my mouth and crushing my breasts with his hands. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the car pull up, and I stepped back, breathing heavy. I took Eric's hand and stepped towards the limo.

            He was a little stunned and I looked at him with raised eyebrows. "What? If someone's watching us, I just made sure they knew why you were leaving your own party before it was over…"

            He barked a laugh, and smiled back at me. "You are so much more than a pretty face, Lover."

            He allowed me to lead him to the car and we headed out to meet the rest of our raiding party.


	4. Carnage

            Our rendezvous point was the parking lot of a long abandoned factory about three miles from Fangtasia. Bill had brought Eric's car and a full change of clothes for each of us, along with some wooden stakes for me. I got changed in the limo while Eric paid the terrified human driver. There looked to be a group of about thirty vampires gathered, some of whom I hadn't seen at the party. It was about 1:45a.m. and Eric gave instructions to the group,, warning everyone that we didn't know how many vampires Lars would be bringing. Everyone seemed to know where they were supposed to be and what was expected of them, except me. I was leaning on Pam's car and waiting for Eric to come back to me; I couldn't really lean on the Vette, and the BMW was parked next to it.

            Eric made it back to me and had to answer his cell; Felipe was finally calling back. Eric explained all that was going on and said he'd call him when everything was over. He smiled at me with a little fang showing and pulled me into a heated kiss. Vampires. Fights turned them on, before and after.

            When he released me, I asked, "Where do you want me, Eric?"

            He laughed, "I want you very far away from here, perhaps in my bed at home, naked and waiting for me. If you are going to stay, like I know you will, I want you to feed from me and be strong, but you probably won't do that either. So, I think what you meant to ask, is where will I ask you to go since I know you won't leave?"

            I smiled.

            "I want you to go with Pam," he sighed. "I will lead the attack and Bill will be close behind, but I'd like you and Pam to hold back with the second wave. I want you to listen to see if there are any humans among Lars' party and see if you can get a sense of their plan, or if they have anything interesting up their sleeves. Pam will protect you. Bubba will be with the second wave as well. He would never let anything happen to you." He kissed me again and I was expecting it to be passionate and hungry, but it was gentle and sweet. He ran his tongue over my lower lip and then leaned down and kissed my pulse.

            I whispered, "Take care of yourself."

            We carpooled towards Fangtasia, being careful to park several blocks away and walk towards the club. We weren't sure where Lars and his crew were hiding, or if they would just pull up to the club and jump out of their cars, so at every intersection Eric and a couple of vamps would take a good sniff to be sure they didn't smell any strange vamps in the air.

            It was just before 2:30 a.m. and we had the bar surrounded. It seemed Lars and the gang must be coming by car, because none of our vamps smelled them in the air. Eric was hiding just across the street from Fangtasia, and Pam and I were about a block back, but with her vamp hearing we would know when the action started.

            Pam cocked her head and began a running commentary, "They've shut off the big sign; the electric hum has stopped. The door should be opening any minute. There's the door. Bran is singing some song about a bonnie lassie."

            I could hear the voices of some of the other Fangtasia guests filling the parking lot and then I heard tires screeching.

            "Four cars out front," Pam said, "Two out back, I think."

            We started walking up as battle cries began and I heard people running in all directions.

            As we got to the intersection across from the bar, I could see the fight was in full swing. Pam was right, there were four large SUV's out front with all of their doors hanging open. Vamps were fighting and throwing each other everywhere. There were already some piles of bloody vampire goo, but there was no way to tell who had met their final death. I was listening for humans in the area, but it seemed to be just me. Pam was watching intently. I saw Eric swinging his sword at a vampire that looked like a typical Floridian; khaki pants, golf shirt and loafers, no socks. Eric's mind was focused on his opponent. I felt his exhilaration as he fought and his cold rage at the invasion of Area 5.

            A bubble of laughter came up in my throat, my fear and Eric's confidence were swirling together in a confusing jumble in my mind, and Pam looked at me like I was crazy. "Sookie – are you okay? We'll need to go in to the fight soon."

            I nodded my head as I watched Eric finish off the vamp and move to another target. It seemed our side was winning, but it was hard to tell.

            "Ready?" Pam asked.  
 I knew she was a little worried about me, so I took a deep breath and answered firmly, "Ready."

            We began running across the street, and since I really didn't entirely know who was who, I only went after the vamps that were attacking the people I knew. Bran was fighting three big vamps when a fourth tried to get into the mix. I got in front of him, and I think he got a good whiff of my humanness. He paused just enough for me to bring my stake up and get him in the chest. There was goo all over me as I moved to find another target.

            Pam was doing some crazy karate moves on another female vamp, but she had things under control. Eric was chasing two vamps around the building, but he seemed to be holding his own. Bill looked like he had taken a serious beating, and there were still two vamps attacking him. I slid in beside him to help out. He looked a little offended until I kicked one of the vamps in the chest so hard he fell on his butt. Before I could move over him, Bill had staked him and we focused on the next one. We worked well as a team and finished off three more of Lars' vamps before I heard a loud whistle and what was left of the group from Florida headed for the SUV's.

            I was looking for Eric everywhere when Pam grabbed my arm and pulled me into the bar to lead me to the office. I had some cuts and bruises, and I think I broke a rib. Bill seemed to have broken his arm again, and Pam's ankle was the size of a softball, but Eric, oh Lord. When I saw him, Pam had to hold me back.

            "Slowly, Sookie," she said in my ear.

            He was seated on the couch and covered in blood. I couldn't really tell where it was all coming from. His nose was clearly broken and he had huge, deep gashes on both arms. His chest looked like it had been raked by animal claws. Somehow he had lost his shoes and his feet were ravaged.

            I walked slowly and held my hand out to him. His eyes were glazed over and his fangs were still out. Pam stayed at my side with a hand on my elbow. I was sending waves of calm through the bond, hoping I was doing it right. As we got close to him, he seemed to calm. He closed his eyes and breathed in our scents.

            He opened his eyes and blinked several times before saying my name, "Sookie?"

            My heart was breaking in my chest. He seemed so lost. "Yes, Lover," I said as I kneeled in front of him. I pushed his hair from his face. "What do you need, Eric? What can I do?"

            He glanced at Pam and then back at me before picking me up to sit on his lap. He ran his fingers through my hair, taking another needless breath, and I knew from the bond my scent was helping him regain his control. I was looking at Pam, trying to figure out what to do when he seemed to snap out of it.

            "Sookie, why are you worried about me?" he said with a little smile. "I will heal quickly, what of you? Are you injured?" As he spoke I could see Pam relax.

            I sighed as I snuggled on his lap, "I think I have a broken rib or two, but I'm okay." I suddenly felt self-conscious about the blood from my small cuts, but Eric didn't seem to notice.

            He whispered in my ear, "I will heal you later if you will let me, Lover."

            I nodded, hoping to put off the fight about taking more of his blood until we were in private. He was stroking my hair and began asking Pam for reports.

            Apparently we'd lost five of our vamps in the fight. However, she estimated that in the carnage they'd lost at least fifteen vamps before they pulled out.

            Bill came in to report that he'd spoken with Jerome and Brandon. Both had been able to beat the Florida vamps back to retreat as well. They were still tallying their losses, but thanked Eric for the warning and the plan of attack.

            Felicia knocked on the door and told us Alcide was on the phone. Eric motioned to Pam and she took the call but spoke quietly and I could not hear her. Her face was blank, so I could not tell if Alcide was giving good news or bad. Then she squinted a little, rolled her eyes and looked at Eric and me.

            She spoke up, "Alcide, Sookie and Eric are busy. I wouldn't recommend contacting her in the future." And then she hung up the phone. I couldn't understand why no one would let me speak for myself. She looked at Eric. "The Weres are fine. Several losses, but the major players are okay."

            Eric nodded and asked Pam to see that the carnage, as she called it, was taken care of.  
 When we were alone in the office, I could see that Eric was healing slowly. He called Felipe, to let him know we were all victorious, but it was brief. It was really hurting to breathe by now, and Eric seemed to sense it through the bond.

            He stood up, taking me in his arms, and looked at me tenderly, "Lover, forgive me if I don't feel like letting you go tonight. I want to take care of you; let's go to my home."

            I nodded, "Eric please, just take me to your place or to the hospital. I'm really hurting."

            He drove me home in the Vette faster than humanly possible. I was kind of out of it, but I realized his driveway was gated, and he had to enter a security code to get in. He carried me into the house, and I wasn't able to notice much about it. Damn broken ribs. I was crying now from the pain, but trying not to sob because it hurt too much and because then Eric would see how human I was.

            He carried me through the house and into a large room. As he shut the door, he entered a code again and it felt like the air went still in the room. Eric put me on the bed and began pulling my clothes off and tears were rolling down my face.

            Then suddenly, he was behind me in a pair of boxers and holding me against his chest; it was a replay of Mississippi, but I was in much more pain and unbelievably he wasn't aroused, or at least not much by Eric's standards. I was struggling to breathe and cry, but still doing both when I heard that awful crunching noise, and he put his bleeding wrist in front of my mouth. I had fully planned on arguing with him, but the pain of broken ribs was too much for me. I latched on to his wrist and drank to the sound of his sigh. He was rubbing his hands through my hair and kissing my neck and now I could feel just how aroused he was behind me.

            As I drank, I felt myself starting to feel better and breathe easier. When I felt better physically I also began to get aroused. Feeling Eric behind me, being so sweet, fueled my desire. I licked his wrist where I had been drinking and moved his hand down to the front of my thong.

            He groaned and began stroking me lightly. I wiggled a little to rub against him and he moved aside my tiny underwear to touch my skin. I gasped a little when he put two fingers inside of me. I was holding onto his thighs to steady myself with one hand and had the other hand in his hair. I turned my head so we could kiss. I was running my tongue along his lips and moving against his hand which also made me move against him as well.

            His other hand had moved to my breast and his tongue began invading my mouth and thrusting in and out. Sweet heaven, this man could kiss. The whole experience was so erotic with him in front of me and behind me at the same time; I was struggling to breathe again. Then he pulled away from kissing my mouth and moved to devour my ear. At the same time, he moved his hand from my breast to join his other hand at my center, and I went over the edge. I think I was screaming his name and I'm certain I was crying again.

            My body was still quaking when he lifted me with a growl and brought me down on his length. I felt like a ragdoll, but I was coming again and I could hardly hold my head up as he was moving my body up and down to thrust into me. I had to hold my breasts because they were bouncing everywhere, but the pleasure was so great I didn't really care. This position was a new one for me; I had never felt so filled before. When I was able to think clearly, I was savoring the feeling of him inside of me and sitting behind me so his chest would touch my back.

            He was whispering in my ear in a language I didn't recognize. His movements became more frantic and I knew he was close. I tilted my head to offer my neck to him. He seemed to hesitate, but then he sank his teeth into me and began to suck as he pulled me down against him. We came together and I was crying his name. Then he was licking my neck and I was leaning against his shoulder, because I really couldn't hold my head up anymore. He moved us to lie down on the bed, and I moaned as he pulled out of me, but adjusted myself to lay with my head on his chest.

            "Feel better, Lover?" he said sweetly.

            I sat up a little and looked him in the eyes. "Eric, that was amazing."

            He laughed loudly and began stroking my hair. Quietly he said, "I was afraid for you, Lover. It was distracting to have you in the battle tonight."

            "Is that what happened to you?"

            "No. I chased those two vamps around back only to find four more waiting for me." I gasped a little and he continued, "I am a strong vampire, but six against one is just poor odds. Luckily, Igor came out the backdoor and helped me take them out, but they had been hitting me in the head with something before he got there, so I was pretty out of it."

            "Oh, Eric." I put my hands on either side of his face.

            He put his finger to my lips and continued, "I tried to go back out front to find you, but Igor dragged me into my office and went to help finish the battle." He shook his head. "Rather embarrassing for the Sheriff not to finish the fight. Pam will get a good laugh out of it."

            I wanted to tell him that he was in no shape to fight when I saw him, but somehow I knew those were words that you never said to a vampire.

            "What will happen now?" I asked. "Will Felipe come back or send someone to deal with Lars?"

            "Honestly, I do not know. Lars will have to face a tribunal at the High Court, but that is not scheduled until months from now. When I spoke to Felipe he said he would deal with it from here on out, so that's all I know."

            I sighed and put my head down on his chest. Vampire politics were a never ending thing. I had a feeling I would never be free of them.

            Eric was stroking my back and as I drifted to sleep I thought I heard him whisper, "Dream of me, Lover; forget the cursed Scot."


	5. Wake Up Call

            I awoke to Eric lifting me out of bed. "Lover, we must clean you up; you're a sight." he chuckled quietly as he carried me to the bathroom.

            I had no idea what time it was and suddenly, I was quite aware of a massive wedgie; well I had on a thong, but there was something seriously wrong. I barely had my eyes open, and I started moving a bit in his arms.

            "What, Lover?"

            "Underwear. I have to get them, ugh, off!"

            He was laughing. "I still don't know why you even bother with them," he said as he stood me up next to the tub that was already full.

            I was mumbling, "Why are they still on me? Did we? How? Just get them off."

            He obliged and lifted me into the tub. There were soft candles lit, and I relaxed in the warm water. Eric went back in the bedroom, and I heard some rustling around. He came back in, putting the sheets in a hamper and then came over to my side.

            "Here, Lover, let me wash your hair."

            I realized he had showered already and was dressed in silk pajama bottoms. He looked wonderful and gazed at me with such tenderness. He pulled out an expensive bottle of shampoo and set to work. He had such strong hands; it was like going to one of the best salons and getting your hair washed. He massaged my scalp and let my conditioner set for a few minutes before rinsing it.

            I was awake enough to look around the bathroom a bit. It was massive, to be sure, but very simply decorated. It was very masculine, all tans and browns, slate tile in the huge two to four person shower with a bench seat in it. My first thought was it would be good for shaving my legs, but my second thought was that there could be many uses for that bench while showering with Eric. There were also double sinks and even a chaise lounge in the bathroom; I was pretty sure it was bigger than my bedroom.

            Eric lifted me from the tub and dried me with the softest towel I had ever felt. He moved me over to the chaise and sat behind me combing out my hair. He kissed me sweetly on the back of the neck a few times, but for the most part he was all business. When all of the tangles were combed free, he pulled a Fangtasia t-shirt over my head, it was huge, it must have been his, and pulled a pair of socks on my feet. Then he picked me up and carried me back to bed.

            "Sookie," he said, looking into my eyes to judge just how awake I was. "You need to listen and remember. I changed the pass code for this room so you can get out in the morning. It's the last four digits of your cell phone number. Do you understand?"

            I nodded. "Mm hmm."

            He told me he didn't want me to feel trapped, so he made me repeat to him the pass code. Then he kissed my forehead, and I was asleep again.

            When I woke the second time, Eric was beside me and clearly out for the day. His arm was draped across me like a log, and I had to laugh because he had taken off the pajamas and there was another piece of his anatomy that could be mistaken for a log brushing my hip. I wondered if he could wake up enough to…nah, I could wait. I wanted to explore Eric's home anyway.

            I flipped on the bedside lamp and looked around the bedroom. I found a clock that said it was already 11 a.m. I never slept that late, but then again, I hadn't kept vampire hours in almost two months. This room was just as masculine as the bathroom. The first thing I noticed was a window. What the? It wasn't real, it couldn't be, no light was coming in from it. It appeared to look out at a lawn; I could see the gate we drove though last night. It was a fake window holding a picture of what you would see if it was real. It was weird.

            I looked around to see what other surprises there were, but there weren't any. The room was done in deep reds and browns and felt warm and calm. Three walls were a deep red, while the wall behind the headboard was a chocolaty brown, like the color of hot cocoa. The furniture all matched, which was odd to me. Where I came from, most people had generations of pieces added together to make up a set. But Eric had matching everything; a large dresser, bedside tables and lamps, a desk with his laptop set up, a flat screen TV on the wall and the massive bed. It was dark wood, mahogany I thought, and had beautiful carvings in both the headboard and footboard. I saw the door to the bathroom and another door I was guessing was to a closet.

            I still just had on a t-shirt and socks, so I opened the closet to find a pair of sweats or something. Why would I think Eric would own such a thing? It's not like he needed to work out…Eventually I gave up and grabbed his robe off the back of the door. It would have to do.

            I was ready to go check out the rest of the house when I stopped in front of the security panel. Oh. Crap. He even made me repeat it. The code. I should know it. How could he expect me to remember? Oh wait, my birthday, his phone number. No. My phone number. My cell number! Shweew. I opened the door and headed out into a sitting room of some kind. I had been so out of it the night before I wasn't really sure where in the house I was, so I went exploring.

            Eric's room, it turned out, took up the whole back corner of the house. Through the sitting room there was a state of the art eat-in kitchen and a living room with another flat screen, several game systems and a fireplace. Oddly, there were a couple of dog bones and toys piled in a corner on what looked like a dog bed. Ok, weird #2 for the day. I didn't hear any dog noises and I didn't smell dog. Did Eric have a pet? I might need to make a list of questions for him when he woke up. The living room was decorated in blues and greens and had a wall full of books, very old books.

            There was a coffee maker on the counter and a note for me in the kitchen.

            Lover,  
 I am sorry there is not much human food here for you. There was nothing open this morning, aside from the Jumbo Mart, because last night was New Year's. There are some bagels in the freezer and the coffee you love so much. Please, look around and find what you need. The keys to the car are hanging by the door if you find there is anything you need. There should be some clothing that will fit you in a box in the living room. Pam wants us to sell it at Fangtasia; you can let us know what you think. I know you may want to go home, but please, stay today and we will spend tonight together. Alone.  
 -E

            I found the clothes, and although I was a little frightened to check it out, I was relieved to find several sizes of blood red yoga pants, with Fangtasia across the butt of course, and hoodie Fangtasia sweatshirts. I pulled out my size and got comfy. In the kitchen I found the bagels and dug out a toaster oven from one of the cabinets. I came across some odd canned foods in the cupboards. Dog food or pickled herring anyone? But I did eventually find peanut butter and a six pack of Diet Coke in the pantry. Coffee, bagels, peanut butter and Diet Coke, what more could a girl want? Sigh, maybe salad fixins, chicken breasts, something with a few less carbs perhaps? Oh well. I had quite a work out last night between the fight and the Viking, I could indulge.

            After my breakfast I was a little tired, so I napped on the couch and then played some Wii golf while I waited for Eric to wake up. I didn't have any video games like this at home, and it was fun to learn how to do it on my own with no one to laugh or make fun of me. It took me a while to figure out I could 'aim' my drives and though I had played at least eighteen holes, the really short putts were still hard. You had to flick your wrist just right, so the controller went just past vertical, but not too far or you hit the ball too hard. Sam was in a golf league and I had always made fun of him, saying it was just an excuse to drink beer, but I was thinking if real golf was as fun as this, I might have to give it a try. I wondered if there were night courses that vamps could use. Did Eric golf? I had no idea.

            I finished my game and realized it was about time for Eric to wake up. I went over to the security box and entered the secret code to go into his room. Eric hadn't woken up yet, and he hadn't moved from this morning when I crawled out from under his arm. I sat on the bed and ran a finger lightly on his chest. No response. I got undressed and laid down facing him and pulled his arm back over me. I was brushing the hair from his forehead and watching him, sleep, I guess you call it. I knew he was going to want to have our 'talk' tonight and I was going to just have to deal with it. It's kind of funny, usually it's the woman that wants to 'talk,' but I just wanted to know that he wanted me, and that's all that needed to be said.

            I sighed and tucked some hair behind his ear and heard him make an, "Mmmm" sound. I smiled a little and went back to touching his chest. He pulled me a little closer but hadn't opened his eyes yet. I felt so good, truly connected to him, and I felt warmth spreading through the bond as he started to wake. I leaned in and kissed his nipple, tracing around it with my tongue and I could feel him getting hard at my hip. His eyes were open now, and I was giving little love bites to his nipple.

            "Lover," he sighed, "This is quite a wake-up call."

            I tilted my head to kiss him and reached down to hold him in my hands. I was always a little shocked at the size of him. I mean, I know I don't have large hands, but good gravy, when he was hard like this he was huge. I started stroking him with my hands and he was kissing me back like there was no tomorrow. There was stroking and tongue thrusting and, oh my, why was it I couldn't get enough of him?

            Eric reached down and maneuvered his arms around mine so he could touch me as well. I could feel the heat between my legs, but when he touched me I melted. I was moaning and whispering some ohmygod's into his neck. He knew just what I needed and the stroke of our hands matched in rhythm. Eric ran his tongue around the edge of my ear and then lightly sucked on the lobe. He rolled me onto my back and straddled my hips and had his hands in my hair. I had to let go of his cock to pull his mouth back to mine.

            He laughed a little and kissed me for a moment, and then he began moving down my body. His hair was hanging over his face, and he took my breasts in each hand and caressed my nipples like priceless jewels. I was whimpering a little, because all I wanted was him inside of me, but he took his time kissing my breasts and licking my belly and working his way down to my center. I writhed beneath him, too far gone to speak, hoping he knew what it was I wanted. He separated my folds with one hand and ran two fingers along my wet center. I was so close I don't think it would have mattered what happened next, but when he ran the tip of his cock along my opening, I came in spasms.

            "Oh god, Eric. Oh. Oh." Just as I was finishing, he pushed into me, and it started over again. He was moaning and then saying my name as he slowly thrust in and out. My eyelids were heavy, but I was looking at him the way I knew he liked, and he was stroking so slowly I thought I would go crazy. He would ever so slowly pull almost all of the way out of me, and then slowly push himself in to the hilt. I was grabbing his shoulders and raising my hips to meet him. It was excruciating and wonderful.  
 He looked at me and started to speak. "Sookie," he said with glassy eyes.

            I grabbed his face and kissed him hard and then whispered in his ear, "Fuck me."

            And he did.

            After another round in the shower, trust me, the bench was great, we stretched out on the bed smiling at each other. There was much to say, but I really think we had just said it all.


	6. Get to the Point

            Eric and I were dressed and sitting at the kitchen table. I was drinking some Diet Coke, and he was having a TrueBlood. It was nice. I didn't feel all awkward because we weren't talking; we were both okay to just – be. I could feel through the bond that he was relaxed, and he was enjoying having me at his home.

            He kind of looked around the kitchen and said, "No one brought groceries over today?"

            I looked around. "Were they supposed to?"

            He laughed. "He'll be here any minute then."

            I still was in the dark. "Who?"

            "Oh, just Barry. He's afraid of meeting humans for the first time in my home when I'm not awake. I had him bring some groceries over when one of the lawyers for Fangtasia was staying in the guest room upstairs and it went badly. I wasn't even living here yet."

            I scrunched my eyebrows to think. "Daytime Barry? Wait, there's an upstairs? And, what do you mean it 'went badly'?"

            He smiled. "Yes, Barry is my daytime person. I think you've spoken to him on the phone, yes? He calls himself a D.D., I think it stands for Daytime Dude, but he never really explained it. Yes, there's another safe room directly above mine, two more bedrooms and a large bathroom. I keep the door closed because I rarely go up there, so you must have missed it. The door to the stairs is in the front room. Let me guess, you didn't make it past the video games this afternoon?" He grinned. "I thought that was just a guy thing."

            I shrugged and smiled. "Yeah. I got sidetracked a bit by the Wii golf. Okay, I still need to know what you meant by things going badly when Barry met the lawyer here, but while I'm asking questions, I need to know about the fake window and the dog toys."

            He sipped his blood with a blank face. "Do you always ask this many questions?"

            I was starting to feel like I was crossing some sort of line with him. "Um, no. I mean, I guess I do, I just..."

            He laughed. "I'm not upset, Lover. It was just a question. Barry scared the poor guy out of his wits. It was a few years ago, and the lawyer didn't realize that I had a daytime person to help out," he actually grinned and made a hmph noise, "So when Barry showed up, well, he thought Barry was a mutant vampire that could be out in the daylight."

            My eyes got a little wide and I laughed a little. When vampires first 'came out of the coffin' people really didn't know what to expect.

            He laughed again. "And what is it you say? He kicked Barry's ass six ways to Sunday. So Barry doesn't like to meet humans in my home without me around."

            "Do you have a lot of humans over?" I asked quietly. I'd thought I was the first, or at least one of only a few, but now I wasn't so sure. Had he had a string of human lovers here? I couldn't imagine he did with his secrecy and security, but...

            "Sookie." He pushed his chair back and pulled me to sit on his lap. He murmured into my hair, "Relax. I've had some business associates here, but very few. A lawyer. An accountant. They were tightly supervised and every security code was changed the minute they left. It wasn't an ideal situation and I considered selling the house afterwords, but this is my favorite property."

            He turned me to face him. "You are the only woman besides Pam who has been in my home."

            His eyes searched mine and I nodded. He began to comb through my hair with his fingers, and I let myself relax into the feel of his touch.

            "As for your other questions," Eric spoke again. "The window was a practical joke Pam played on me when I was out of town on business. She had been watching a lot of HGTv and thought it would be hysterical. Since Barry was in on the joke, and he hired the contractors to do the work, he refuses to hire anyone to come in while I'm out of town and fix it. And well, for the past year or so, my trips out of town have been rather last minute, so it just hasn't gotten taken care of."

            I was laughing. I could totally see Pam as a practical joker.

            "As for the dog," he started, but there was a knock at the door, "Ah, here's your answer." The door opened and a tall gangly human with floppy hair came in carrying several grocery bags. "Barry, glad you could make it," Eric said, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

            "Hey, boss," Barry said a little sheepishly. "Yeah, you know how I feel about meeting your human friends when you're not around."

            Eric sighed. "I know. I just told Sookie the story."

            "Hey, Sookie, nice to meet you in person."

            "Hi, Barry. You too."

            Barry unloaded the groceries and started talking, well rambling, to us like it was not unusual to have a human woman sitting on Eric's lap in his kitchen. "So, I got you some salady stuff and some more substantial meaty stuff, because I didn't know what you wanted. All I was told was to get some food for Sookie for a few days. Vampires don't realize that humans have a huge variety of choices for food, and that women, sorry Sookie, have major preferences in food. You know? I didn't know if you ate carbs or even ate meat, well I figured," he mumbled and blushed a little, "But I didn't know, you know?"

            I was smiling as I followed along with Barry's commentary and Eric rubbed my back. I could feel Eric tensing a little. I think Barry was a little too out there for him. I stifled a laugh, how did Eric get involved with us crazy humans?

            Eric sighed, "Barry, do you have a point?"

            "Yeah," he looked at Eric like he was crazy. "I hope she likes what I got. Jeez, boss. Relax. It's your night off and your hangin' with your girl."

            "No Barry, I'd like to be with my lover, but you're still here."

            "Whatever. Let me get these put away. Then I have some things to report, and I'll get out of your hair."

            I couldn't help it anymore; I had to laugh. They both looked at me like I was insane. I looked at both of them and tried to stop. I could hardly speak, "It's just, you're afraid of humans, but you clearly are not afraid of a 1,000 year old vampire."

            Eric smiled and Barry got the joke and laughed too. "Yeah, I guess it's just what you're used to, huh?"

            Just then the outside light came on by the sliding glass door, and I gasped when I saw the nose of the largest German shepherd in the world, I swear to you, pressed up against the glass.

            Eric laughed. "There's the mystery dog."

            "Oh, it's Barry's dog?"

            Simultaneously I heard Eric say, "Yes," and Barry say, "No."

            Eric got up and let the dog in the house, and it immediately sat right at his side.

            Barry explained, "See, Eric found the dog outside of Fangtasia and gave it to me, thinking it would be great protection for this measly human. The problem however, is that Thor freaking loves Eric. He only tolerates me because he knows I associate with him, I swear."

            "Ok. I kind of understand. His name is Thor?"

            Again I hear the "Yes," and "No," bit. Eric spoke up, "In my lifetime, you did not name the animals that came to your hearth. And you certainly would never have called them by the name of a God."  
 Barry sighed. "But in my lifetime, you don't run around calling the animal you take care of "Dog" for years. So I call him Thor."

            I just laughed. "May I pet him?"

            Eric put a hand up. "Give him a second to smell you." He squatted down and rubbed the dog behind his ears and whispered something to him. "Hold your hand out, palm down and make a fist. Then take a slow step towards us. Ok?"

            I did as I was told and Thor, in my lifetime you named pets, I was right with Barry on that one, came forward and sniffed my hand. Eric remained down on his haunches and he gently turned Thor's head toward him.

            He seemed to be looking into the dogs' eyes and said, "Sookie is mine."

            Oh good lord, he was telling the dog I was his? Thor kept looking right at him, and Eric made a circular motion with two of his fingers. The dog immediately walked a circle around me sniffing and then sat down beside my feet.

            Eric said to me, "Snap your fingers and point at the floor."

            So I did. The dog lay down instantly.

            Eric looked at him and said again, "She is mine."

            I swear the dog nodded at him and then rolled over and showed me his belly for petting.

            "Whoa. What was all of that?" I asked as I rubbed Thor's belly.

            "I just made sure he knows to obey you and that you are mine. He will protect you at all costs."

            He snapped his fingers and patted his leg and Thor went back to him for some serious ear rubbing.

            It was all a little weird. I mean, I would have thought that animals wouldn't really like the undead, but this dog was clearly Eric's, no matter how many times he was going to tell me he was Barry's. I was more and more amazed by this vampire.

            "So Barry," Eric said. "What do you have to report, so that I may begin enjoying my evening with Sookie?"

            Barry continued putting some TrueBlood in the fridge. "You might want to come sit down for this."

            I felt Eric tense through the bond. He pointed to the dog bed and Thor went to play with his toys. We went back to the table as Barry started talking, rambling, actually. I swear he wasn't like this on the phone.

            "So, Dani called me today, you know, one of Felipe's D.D.'s from Vegas? I thought she was calling to wish me happy New Year or something, because you know, we hung out when she was here in town? Anyway, she started asking me about the attacks last night right away. All I really know is from voice mails you and Pam left me because I was at a human party last night, so I couldn't tell her much. Then she started asking me if I knew where Victor was last night and I was like, 'Duh in New Orleans.' And she's like, yeah. No."

            Eric was completely tense. I thought he was going to break off a piece of his kitchen table. "Barry, get to the point."

            "Yeah, okay. So last night Felipe called Victor to warn him of the attacks. He told him that we knew of the three planned attacks, but to be on guard there in the Big Easy. NBD. But Felipe is like totally paranoid, so he makes Dani ping all of the cell phone calls made and received to make sure people are where they say there are. And you'll never guess where Victor was last night."

            My eyes were wide due to the story and Eric's response. His fangs were showing and he was practically growling. "Do not even tell me that bastard was in Shreveport."

            "Okay, I won't, but you're right. He was two blocks from the bar when Felipe talked to him."

            Eric stood up and went to the sliding glass door to pace back and forth.

            "So yeah," Barry said while grabbing his keys and snapping his fingers at Thor. "Enjoy your night off, boss. I'm getting out of here."

            Eric turned to face us again. "Barry, I need you to call Pam and tell her exactly what you told me. She will know what to do. Sookie and I will enjoy this evening and I will begin to deal with this tomorrow."

            Barry nodded, and he and Thor left quickly. He knew Eric was livid and didn't want to stick around. I, however, really had no choice in the matter. I had to work tomorrow, but, for now, I was kind of stuck here with Eric, even though I still didn't know how I was getting to work.

            Eric put both hands behind his head and stretched. I could tell he was trying to stop himself from thinking about what all of this meant. I tried to break the ice, "Never a dull moment, eh?"

            He shook his head. "Sookie, this is...well, it makes a big difference if Victor was involved in this plot. If he was behind it, he'll be run out of town and most likely killed. Our allegiance to Felipe will be tested yet again and it will be a long time before things really calm down. Fucking Sheriff of New Orleans and it's not enough for him. Unbelievable."

            "I kind of wondered last night why he wasn't considered one of the most powerful Sheriffs in Louisiana."

            "Thank you for keeping it to yourself. I'm sure we all thought it, but there wasn't enough time to hash all of that out and get ready for the attack. I think I believed New Orleans had been through enough that, perhaps, Lars didn't think of it as the stronghold it once was," he sighed. "Enough of this, Lover. I'll deal with it tomorrow. What shall we do tonight?" He smiled.

            I smiled back. "I have a few ideas. But first I need some dinner, and I need to figure out how I'm getting to Bon Temps to work tomorrow."

            He went to the rack by the door and pulled down a set of keys with a Range Rover tag and handed them to me. "Take the Rover, or the Vette, whichever. I believe they both are filled with gasoline."

            I was a little stunned. A Range Rover? Man, I must have been out of it last night to have missed that in the garage. "Umm, okay. Are you working tomorrow night?" I asked as I started to make a salad. We hadn't really talked, but I knew I wanted to be with him. "Do you want me to come here when I get done at Merlotte's? I'm scheduled 'til eleven."

            "I'll have to be at the bar tomorrow evening. There's paperwork that needs to be done, and I'll need to see what is going on with this Victor business. I would like it very much if you would come back here tomorrow night, Lover."

            "Eric," I said hesitantly, hating that I was going to ask but finally giving in to my need to know. I leaned against the kitchen counter and faced him. "What exactly do you remember?"

            "About my time with you?" He asked, giving me a fangy grin. "I told you. I remember everything."

            I felt his eyes sweep over my body and my blush followed his gaze on the way back up.

            "Even when I didn't remember what had happened between us I couldn't even think about other women; it repulsed me. I knew then something important had happened, I just didn't know what. But now I know, Sookie. I remember every moment we shared. I remember lying by the fireplace under that god awful afghan with you. I remember all of the times we made love and all of the things we talked about. More than that, I remember that I've never been happier than when I was with you, and I remember telling you I'd give up everything to stay with you."

            "And how do you feel now? You may remember, but do you feel the same? Does the Sheriff of Area 5 still love a human?"

            He stepped forward and put his hands on my hips, his thumbs gently rubbing against my stomach. "He loves a part Fae telepath. Do not confuse her with an average human, Sookie."

            The corner of my mouth lifted in a smile. I wanted to jump into his arms, but I was just too overwhelmed. "You do?"

            "You know I do," he said, moving even closer. "You can feel it."

            "I don't know what's you and what's the bond."

            "Does it matter, Lover? It just is."

            "I don't know," I sighed, shaking my head.

            "Will you be content to love me back until you figure it out?" he teased.

            "I don't know if I'll be content..." I said trailing off,. Then he was kissing me and all I could feel was peace and happiness and I had no idea what was mine, what was his or what was from the bond.

            Eventually, we stopped kissing because my stomach growled. We laughed and Eric gently kissed my forehead and stepped back, giving me room to move and make my dinner. As I chopped the lettuce and vegetables for my salad, I felt him watching over my shoulder. He kissed my neck a couple of times and just stood behind me, making me feel relaxed and warm. I moved to the fridge and found the precooked chicken breast strips I'd seen Barry put in there and brought them back to the counter.

            I turned my head a little so I could see his face. "Eric, you don't have to hang out with me while I eat. I mean, if it bothers you or something."

            He raised that eyebrow of his and smiled. "Lover, why would it bother me to see you eat? I want you to be strong and healthy. I am simply amazed at the way food has changed over the years. The choices you have are staggering. I imagine what you have to eat today tastes incredible compared to the scorched meat and gruel I lived on."

            I smiled. "Yeah, I guess we do have a lot of good choices. It's just that, well, Bill hated to see me eat. He made me brush my teeth immediately afterward. It just grossed him out."

            Eric's face got hard. "Do not compare me to that fool." I tried to interrupt, but he calmed down and continued, "Sookie, the more you tell me about your relationship with that idiot, the more I want to send him into the sun." He shook his head. "As I said, I want you to be healthy and strong. If you won't take my blood daily, and I'm not asking you to now, then I want you to eat and be well. I don't want to eat any of it, that's a horrible thought, but I do not begrudge you your human needs. It is who you are, Lover."

            "Thank you, Eric," I said, stretching up on my tip toes to kiss him gently. I put some balsamic vinegar on my salad and took it to the table. He sat across from me and I wondered out loud, "So, what would happen if you ate human food?"

            He looked positively green, and raised one side of his lip in disgust. "Ugh. It is an awful experience. I think most young vampires make the mistake once, even if they are told to never try it." He shook his head a little and still looked ill. "Our bodies force it back out, every single speck of it."

            I laughed. "So you vomit?"

            "That is an understatement."

            I laughed even harder. Most vampires were repulsed by human 'needs' like using the toilet and eating, so to think of them throwing up was too much. I couldn't resist, so I asked, "And what did you eat when you made the mistake?"

            "Oh God, you're torturing me!" he joked, and he then seemed thoughtful. "It was after I'd traveled to America. The voyage was horrible, there were sick humans everywhere. They stank like vomit and shit and death. When I was able to get off the ship I wandered about the wharf for a while in the evening. I found some mince pies cooling on a window sill, and the smell was just heavenly. It was so much better than the stench on the ship and I just thought, really, it couldn't be so bad. I wasn't really even hungry for the food, but the smell. I was enticed." He shook his head. "And within minutes I thought I would die."

            "Yuck," I said. "You never made that mistake again, did you?"

            "Lover," he chuckled. "I haven't survived this long repeating my mistakes."

            I finished my dinner and washed the dishes quickly. Eric had stretched out on the couch and I went to join him. We both sighed as I stretched out on top of him. He grabbed a remote and turned on the fireplace and then rubbed small circles on my back. We lay there relaxing and resting. I was enjoying his touch and breathing in his masculine and woody smell that was just, well, Eric.

            Quietly, he said, "I turned the ringers off on both of our phones, Lover. I promised you it would be just the two of us tonight."

            I sat up a little on his chest. "What will we do with ourselves?" I asked teasingly.

            His eyes sparkled. "I'm sure we'll think of something to keep busy all night."

            Then kissed me gently, and we were very busy until he felt the pull of the sun.


	7. Silly Vampire

            In the months before the holidays, while Eric had been off dealing with Felipe, I had been thrown back in to my old life of constantly hearing what everyone thought. There were no 'dead' spots in my brain, only a few odd hums of local shifters. I really had to work on shielding myself from listening to all of it, so I didn't fall back in to a sort of pre-Bill depression. I walked in to the Merlotte's on January second re-energized from spending a couple of days with the vamps and wham, it was all back.

            "Blah, blah, blah, sex, sex, sex, Sookie's crazy, has she been with the vampires?"

            I had to step back outside for a second and refocus. I'd been so happy I forgot what I was walking into. Sam saw me and gave me a questioning look, but I just smiled and made the best of things. It was quite a week, working in Bon Temps and then going back to Shreveport daily. There was still too much going on with the New Year's attack for Eric to come stay with me, so I was commuting.

            I knew I should have been afraid of what our future held and I kept coming back to the question about whether or not our feelings were real or were induced by the bond. But as we lived with the bond it was clear that Eric really didn't know much more about it than I did, and, when it all came down to it, I was much happier and safer when I was with him. He wasn't begging me to marry him and rush into any decisions. Well, he did want me to move in with him, but that was because he wanted to protect me. He'd laughed when I said I wasn't willing to move in but would concede to commute for a while. I think he thought they were the same thing, but in my head they weren't and that was what mattered to me. The rest of it, I was just playing by ear.

            Eric and I had been truly enjoying each other's company. I made him watch some of my favorite movies and had Barry get us a copy of Rock Band for the Wii. We laughed and joked and seemed like a fairly normal couple, except we were only together at night, and Eric was a nymphomaniac vampire, otherwise it was normal, ha. Eric was kind and generous and the hardest working man I knew. He had a shrewd business mind and was always looking for ways to make the bar better or to make more money.

            As a joke, Barry had stuck a plastic caution sign near the front gate; it had a picture of a German shepherd on it, meaning 'beware this house is protected by a big dog.' Eric was outraged that someone might think that he, a 1,000 year old vampire, would need a dog to guard him.

            I laughed hysterically and said he should make some caution signs with a picture of his face on them and sell them at the bar. He thought I was crazy until I told him that I guaranteed some of the fangbangers would want them, if only just to look at his picture.

            Eventually he said, "If you humans are dumb enough to spend money on something like that, I might have to sell them."

            xxXXxx

            I was at Merlotte's for my last shift before two days off. Eric had reworked the schedule at the bar so he would be off as well. I had a feeling that the much anticipated talk wouldn't be put off any longer, although by now I wasn't nearly as worried as I had been before. I was refilling the condiments after the lunch rush when Barry came in. He stood just inside the door looking around until he found me, then smiled and came towards me at the waitress station. When he got to me, he was looking extremely nervous.

            I had no idea why he came to see me, so I asked, "What's up, Barry?"

            He looked around, and seemed even more nervous. "Why is everyone staring at us?"

            I noticed Arlene, Gemini, the new cook, and the few patrons we had at the time, were indeed all looking at us. I laughed. "Because you're human."

            He was totally confused. "So are they. Aren't they?"

            "Yeah, mostly, but they are used to seeing me with vamps and supes, and they know I've been seeing Eric. So they can't figure out who you are." I paused and listened for a second. "Some think it's a good thing, and some are actually afraid Eric might come here and kill you," I said with a smile.

            "Okay. At least they are concerned for my safety," he said as he raised his eyebrows. He spent too much time with Eric. Just then Sam came out of his office and glanced at me to be sure a customer wasn't harassing me. Barry noticed him too. "Hey, Sam. What's up?"

            "Hey. Nothing much, Barry. What brings you to Bon Temps?"

            It was my turn to be confused. "You two know each other?"

            They laughed, and Sam answered, "Yeah, how do you think Eric set up your coverage when you were out of town? Barry got in touch with me to have the temp waitresses here and for Eric to pay the extra wages when he offered." It said something that Sam was okay with Barry being here, because Eric was not his favorite person. It wasn't entirely jealousy; he wanted me to be safe and happy, but he wished I could be both of those things with anyone but Eric, or any vampire really.

            I nodded and looked back at Barry. "He hasn't gotten a chance to tell me why he's here yet."

            "Well, I need a couple of favors," Barry started.

            "Shit, does that mean I need another waitress for a while?" Sam muttered.

            Barry smiled at him. "Just for tonight I think, man. One of our human waitresses, Candy, she's been here before, kind of a hot red head with..." He was making an hourglass figure with his hands. "Oh sorry, Sookie. Yeah, she's headed over. You have the next two days off, right? I think you'll be back before you have to work again."

            Sam was nodding and I was standing there feeling like something being bought and sold.

            "Wait just a second, boys. What's going on?"

            "Oh, yeah. Sam, can you excuse us and I'll explain?"

            "Sure. Just keep her safe." He walked away looking at me like an overprotective brother and I loved him for it.

            "Okay, so you know how Eric's been trying to straighten out this whole Lars, Victor business, right? Well, Felipe doesn't want to wait until the High Court Tribunal. He wants everyone to come to Vegas for a meeting. He's bringing in some big guns from the American Vampire League and a couple of vamp Court officers to deal with things, like ASAP. Dani said Felipe specifically asked for you to come. So, I'm here to ask you to go pack."

            "I appreciate you coming all of this way, but I'm not going without Eric's blessing, and I'm certainly not going without him."

            "Oh, did I forget that part? Oh yeah, you're all going. You, Eric, Pam, Bill, Packmaster Herveaux, and the Sheriffs from Baton Rouge and over in Lafayette. I think Quinn might be there, but he's living out there, so I don't really know. I'm staying here to do my thing, but I've got Felipe's plane ready to go, so after dark you can all get to the airport and hit the road."

            He was rambling again. I think I made him nervous. "I could try to get you all out earlier, but I'm so not rolling Eric into a coffin ever again if I don't have to, and I'm pretty sure the other D.D.'s are with me on that. I've got emergency messages to the D.D.'s and the vamps so they get to the airport as soon as they wake and Alcide is all set. You just need to get to your place and get packed and then meet me at Fangtasia."

            "Is Eric at the bar?" I had gotten a little lost in Barry's rambling and had no idea why I was meeting him at the bar.

            "No. That's where Julie is."

            I was looking at him blankly again.

            "Oh, did I forget that part too? Damn. Sorry. I'm just trying to get all of this stuff done in a hurry. Julie is the other favor I need."

            I felt like Eric as I made the 'come on' motion with my hand at him.

            "Yeah, so Julie is this human waitress we have and she's like, I don't know, a few months pregnant and, well, Eric is getting worried about having her working at the bar."

            I was about to be livid that Eric would fire a pregnant woman when Barry started talking again.

            "Eric thought it would be good if you came with me to talk to her, because you know, you're a woman and all. And he doesn't want her to feel like what he's doing is a punishment. But he wants her to work the set-up shift everyday, so she's only there for the early tourists and not the hardcore fangbangers later. Plus, pregnant humans kind of freak out vampires that used to have families. And like, he just really doesn't want anything bad to happen to her."

            I was relaxing a bit after his explanation. After thinking for a minute, I asked, "Will this cut her hours at all?"

            "Umm, no. I think it's the same. I never thought about it."

            Men. Of course they didn't think about it. I sighed. "Barry, I'll come have this talk with her, but there's one condition."

            He made the 'come on' motion back at me and I just smiled.

            "I'll help you if you assure me that Julie will work enough to be put on the bar's insurance." Eric had started talking about putting me on the insurance, so I knew they had a policy for employees.  
 Barry looked a little stunned. "Umm, I'll have to crunch some numbers back at the office and ultimately it will need Eric's approval, but I think it can be done."

            I was feeling kind of powerful, or maybe wicked. "You crunch the numbers all you want, but unless you've left something out of this story Eric will approve it, for me."

            Barry squirmed a little. "Ah, okay. Umm, so you go pack and meet me at Fangtasia, then you'll have enough time to head to Eric's before you have to catch the flight."

            I nodded and was untying my apron as he left and a girl with great curves and a Fangtasia t-shirt came in. He thanked her for coming, gave me a look over his shoulder and was on his way.  
 I greeted the new girl, "You must be Candy?"

            She smiled. "Yeah, you must be Sookie. I've subbed for you here a couple of times. Honestly, if you ever need someone to cover for you, let me know. I love coming out here. It's a great change of pace. The guys flirt all of the time, but they're all harmless. You, ah, never know in Shreveport, you know?"

            I laughed. At Fangtasia the flirting took on a whole different vibe and I understood.

            I told Sam that she was finishing my prep work and headed out. I was still driving the Range Rover and I was seriously considering not giving it back. For all of my complaining about not wanting Eric to replace my car, I was becoming addicted to the smooth ride and the functioning heat and air conditioning in this vehicle. I stopped at home and grabbed some of my clothes, including a business suit Eric had bought for one of my last trips for the vamps. I made sure to grab an evening dress and some skimpy lingerie for Eric and headed to Shreveport.

            Barry was waiting for me with the cutest, and most terrified, little pregnant waitress. She was thinking about how she was going to explain to her parents that she'd gotten fired and that she should have never slept with the deadbeat that knocked her up anyway. I felt so bad for her; I had to tell her right away she wasn't fired.

            She didn't quite believe me at first, but Barry and I explained everything to her and she relaxed a little. She was overwhelmed when Barry said she would have health insurance. She kept looking at us like we couldn't be real.

            When she was ready to leave she hugged me and quietly said, "You did all of this, didn't you? Thank you."

            I smiled and looked into her eyes. "I'm just the messenger. Eric did this. And you're welcome."

            Well, he would have done the insurance part if he thought of it. I was learning about Eric that he was extremely loyal, and he treated his employees like a family he was responsible for. Now mind you, if you crossed him he would not hesitate to kill you, bar family or not, but if you proved yourself loyal to him, he returned the sentiment.

            When I got to Eric's house, it was around 4:30 p.m. He would be waking any minute and I still had some things to pack that were at his place, plus, he had better luggage. Mine had been seriously damaged at Rhodes. So I went into his closet and pulled out a couple of suitcases and got busy. He was lying on the bed, naked of course, and I could see his cheek starting to twitch. It made me smile a little, it was one of the first signs he was waking. I wanted to sit down and cuddle him, but I still needed to pack my toiletries. A girl had to look good in Vegas, and getting in bed with him would lead to so much more, so I just kept packing.

            I came out of the bathroom and he was sitting up, looking at the suitcases and rubbing his face.  
 "Lover, are you leaving me?"

            I went to the bed and kissed him. "Silly vampire. There are two suitcases. You're coming with me." He deepened the kiss and was wordlessly asking for that so much more I knew we really didn't have time for. I pulled back. "Barry came to see me today. Felipe needs us in Vegas to deal with the New Year's stuff. We have to get to the airport."

            His eyes cleared and he looked at me. "What did he tell you?"

            "Apparently, he's bringing in some American Vampire League folks and a couple of vamp court officers. He wants us all there tonight, even Alcide and the other sheriffs. I told Barry I wouldn't go without you or your consent."

            He smiled and kissed me gently. "Barry knows that, Lover, but it touches me to know you told him that." He was kissing my neck and inhaling my scent, and I knew I had to get off the bed, and then he moved his hands to my breasts. He ripped my Merlotte's shirt off but kindly removed my bra without damaging it. I had explained to him they were more expensive and harder to replace. I gave him a dirty look about the shirt. "You weren't wearing that on the plane anyway. I was just helping you change."

            "We don't have time," I mumbled into his lips.

            He was circling my nipples with his thumbs and lightly kissing my lips. He kept one hand on my breast and used the other to move my hand to his middle and wrapped my fingers around his cock. He was hard and ready, and I felt myself getting wet.

            "Okay, maybe we have a little time," I sighed.

            He laughed and moved my hand along his length. He helped me stroke him a couple of times and then moved his hand to my core. His other hand was beginning to pinch my nipple and his tongue was doing amazing things to my neck and ear.

            I was using both hands on his long shaft and moaning at the feel of his touch. He moved to begin kissing my breasts and I felt his fangs scrape a little. It made a butterfly sensation in my stomach and he must have sensed my reaction because he repeated it on the other side.

            I was still trying to work my hand on him but having a hard time concentrating when he pushed me back on the bed. I was lying sideways across the bed, with my feet dangling down towards the floor when he got between my knees and opened my folds for his mouth. He reached up and moved my hand so that I was massaging my own breast and made eye contact with me just as he lowered his mouth to me.

            Giving me a long lick, he paused, and then blew his cool breath across my skin. He slid two fingers in and after a couple of polite strokes began pumping his hand into me and took my most sensitive spot into mouth. I was moving my hips and crying out, but since my feet didn't reach the floor I was trying to get leverage on the side off the mattress with my feet. Eric put a hand on my stomach to keep me from coming off the bed and he drove three fingers in to me.

            When I came, I was trying to tell him I wanted him inside of me, but I think it just came out as "Ohgod, ohgod, ohmygod."

            He pulled his fingers out as I finished and began drinking the wetness spilling from my body. When I was on the brink of coming again, he stood and pushed in to me to the hilt. He was thrusting hard and fast, and I was trying to sit up to kiss him or touch him, but he flattened me with one hand on my breast and the other moving quickly over my clit. He was still pumping into me when I started to come, and he moved to stick his thumb in my mouth. I sucked it like I would his cock and swirling my tongue around the top of it. Just as my orgasm was finishing, his fangs pierced my neck, pulling another orgasm from me as he drank, his own release close behind.

            We were laying there, me panting, both covered in sex and my sweat, and he smiled at me. "Guess you need a shower now, hm?"

            "Crap Eric, we don't have time for that." I was starting to worry about the time and tried to sit up to go finish my packing.

            "Lover, the other sheriffs are coming from across the state. Go start the shower."

            I gave him a look like he had to be kidding.

            "You're right; we don't have time for that. You shower and I'll do my packing. Then I'll shower, and you can pack, or just watch me." He had a devilish look on his face and he gave me a quick kiss on the lips before he pulled me up and pushed me towards the bathroom.

            When we made it to the private airstrip, Eric was right as usual. The out of town vamps weren't there yet. Bill and Pam were waiting with Alcide, who didn't look happy to see me with Eric. Barry pulled up and Eric went to speak with him. Pam and I were talking about what we had packed and what we wanted to buy while we were there. Bill was rolling his eyes. Her shopping ideas were much grander than mine. I just wanted to be sure to get a cute t-shirt this time because I forgot to get one last time. Pam wanted to go back to a couple of exclusive Vegas shops and get some high end couture. I'd probably go with her and drool at the expensive things a little, but also laugh at the fact people paid such ridiculous prices for clothing.

            Two cars were pulling in as Eric came back to my side, and Barry got back in his car to leave. Eric put his arms around me and kissed my temple.

            "Lover, you didn't tell me you talked to Julie today." He smiled. "I was going to give her the insurance after she'd been on days for a couple of weeks, to make her think it was because of doing a good job. But you're right, she needs it now. Thank you for looking out for her."

            I turned into his arms. "She thought I was responsible for it, for all of it, and I told her it was you." He harrumphed a little like it was no big deal. I kissed him gently on the lips. "You're doing right by her, Viking."

            Pam had gone to greet the new-comers and now they headed for Eric and me. Alcide joined us and Eric made introductions. Brandon, Itzel and Jerome were a little surprised to be going to Vegas at such short notice, and I wondered what it would be like to not get called out of town at the last minute.

            Over the last couple years that had become the norm for me, and I was getting really good at packing, unless I was sidetracked. We headed to the plane and got ready for the flight. I was looking around inside and it was a beautiful aircraft. There were several sets of seats facing each other, room for about eight people, a sitting area with two couches, and a kitchenette.  
 We were buckling our seatbelts when a man stepped out of the cockpit. He nodded at us and said, "I'm Captain Drake, your vampire pilot tonight. Your human pilot is Captain Stone, and you'll have a steward named Skovil to assist you during flight. We're just doing the final checks, and Skovil is filing some paperwork and then we'll be on the way. Enjoy your flight."

            Captain Drake went back into the cockpit and another man came in the door to the plane. He pulled the door shut, introduced himself as Skovil and asked if we needed anything. When Eric said we were all set, the steward went to sit near the galley for take-off. I hated take-offs and landings, and had told Eric, so as soon as we felt the plane start to move, he pulled me in to his arms for a long, slow kiss.


	8. Waking up in Vegas

            The flight was uneventful. I slept for a bit, while Eric was talking to Alcide and the other vamps about what he expected to happen. The cadence of his voice helped put me to sleep; just being near him made me feel safe. When I woke up we could see the lights of Vegas, and Eric tried to get me to pick out different hotels. It was nearly impossible, but he was keeping my mind off the impending landing.

            When we stepped off the plane, there was a stretch Hummer limo waiting for us. There was no one to greet us except the driver, and all he knew was that he was to drive us to Felipe's new hotel, The Oasis, on the strip. I looked out the windows as we drove, amazed every time I saw how much neon there was in this town. We came past the Winn and headed over to the strip. The Oasis was built in the place of several restaurants that had been demolished between the Monte Carlo and New York New York. Pam said it reminded her of the Alladin, which was now Planet Hollywood, but Alcide argued they were nothing alike. Either way, it was new to me, and apparently, it was vamp friendly.

            We were escorted to the front desk to check in and told that Felipe wanted us to meet him in his suite in thirty minutes. I waited with Pam while Eric checked in for us. I hadn't really thought about it, but I figured I either had my own room or I was staying with Eric. I wasn't sure if Barry booked the rooms or if Felipe did, so I waited for Eric to return with a key card.

            He came back and put his arm around the small of my back and whispered, "You're with me, Lover."

            Mmm. Chills. Eric's eyes darkened as the accidental moan escaped my lips. We started toward an elevator that was separate from the others, and I asked where we were going.

            He turned and inhaled the scent of my hair, then smiled. "We are in the tower. It's reserved for special guests. The others are staying in the section that has been customized for Supes and Vamps."

            We stepped into the elevator and waved at the others. When the door shut, Eric pinned me against the mirrored wall and began kissing me with a passion. I could feel his erection pushing against my skirt and his hands trying to raise my hem. The elevator dinged and brought me to my senses, and I tried to move from between Eric and the wall so we could go to our room. He growled and reached back. I don't know how he did it, but he hit the emergency stop button on the fist try, and the elevator started making a buzzing sound like an alarm clock. I gave up fighting between the wall of the elevator and his chest, kissing him back and rubbing his ass with my hands. He had my shirt unbuttoned and had pulled my breasts out of the cups of my bra so they were pushed up and in, aimed right at him.

            He was leaning to lick my chest when I caught him off guard and spun us around so he was against the wall. The bond had a way of amplifying my arousal, because I could feel how turned on he was, so it made me want him even more. I untucked his shirt and got his belt and pants undone so I could reach into his Calvin Kleins. He groaned when I touched him and was trying to grab my head so he could kiss me, but I pulled back and slid down the length of his body.

            I took his pants and boxer briefs down so I had access to him and then caressed his length with the back of my hand and looked him in the eye as I licked my lips. When I took him in my mouth, he said my name with a groan and was holding on to the handle railing so tightly I thought he'd pull it off the wall. I was licking and sucking, trying to get as much of him in my mouth and throat as possible. I had heard girls at the bar say to relax your throat, but it was really much easier said than done, so I just did my best. I seemed to be doing it right because he was moving his hips and thrusting into my mouth and saying, "Oh, fuck Sookie. Oh, god. Fuck, just like that, oh god, yeah."

            His reactions were pushing me to the brink, and I was starting to ache to have him inside me. I increased my speed, started to suck just a little harder at his tip, and added that nice little ice cream cone lick at the tip and then took him back in and did it again. He pushed his hips out hard and his cock hit the back of my throat. I gagged, but it opened my throat enough for him to go in farther. As he passed the back of my throat, he growled and began coming, spurting down my throat. My eyes were a little wide as I struggled to breathe through my nose, and he held my head in place. Unbelievably, I thought I was ready to come, too.

            He pulled out of my mouth and yanked me to my feet. He kissed me and dragged my skirt up around my waist. Tearing my underwear off, he spun me around so my back was against the wall. He licked my neck and scraped me with his fangs. My breasts were pushing against his chest creating a heavenly friction. I moved my hands to rub his nipples and wrapped one of my legs tightly around his waist.

            Then he grabbed my hips, holding me still just long enough to impale me in one long stroke. His eyes were glazed over as he looked at me. He turned us sideways against the wall and grinned.

            "Watch us." His face turned to the mirror on the other side of the elevator car. "Watch us fucking."

            It took only a few seconds and I was seeing stars and crying out with my head thrown back. When I was almost finished, he used his vampire speed to pull out of me and drop to the floor so his teeth were on my femoral artery before I could really understand what was happening. As he bit I cried out again, knowing that if I didn't have a hold on the rail I would have been on the floor. He drank only briefly and then stood up, pushing back into me. With a couple more long strokes, my body clenched around him and I felt him pulsing inside of me.

            We stood there for a few minutes; me catching my breath and Eric just holding me up. At some point, I became aware of the buzzing noise of the elevator alarm again. I heard a ringing noise like an old fashioned telephone and then someone spoke over the speakers in the elevator.

            "Pardon me. I believe someone accidentally hit the alarm button. Your elevator has reached the selected floor."

            I tried not to giggle. Eric grinned and said, "Yes, that must be what happened. Thank you."

            As I pulled down my skirt and tried to put the ladies back in my bra, the speaker voice told us to enjoy our stay. I was laughing as we left the elevator and went to find our room. After our escapade in the elevator we wouldn't have much time to get to Felipe's suite, but Eric assured me it was here in the tower wing.

            We found our room, a suite really, and I took a quick look around. The front wall was entirely glass, darkened to protect Eric, and it faced the pool area. It was too cold to swim in Vegas this time of year, but the trees were lit with white twinkle lights and I could see a bar that was open with those outdoor space heaters near what looked like a hot tub. Our room was decorated with kind of a Moroccan theme in deep reds and jewel tones.

            I went to the bathroom and freshened up a bit. There was a phone next to the toilet, which I thought was weird, a giant Jacuzzi tub, and a matching shower with double shower heads. I was daydreaming a little about what we could do in the shower and tub when Eric came to the doorway.

            "Lover, we need to go. Are you ready?"

            I was never ready for the vampire politics part of his life, but I nodded and took his hand and he led me to the meeting.

            When we entered the room, everyone was there except Bill and Pam. Felipe greeted us with a grin and apologized for our trouble with the elevator. Oh crap. I realized we must have been on a security tape and was going to have to talk to Eric about getting every copy of it. I was uncomfortable to begin with, but Felipe's comment put me on edge. The others were looking at us a little funny, but Eric made no move to explain – Thank God.

            Bill and Pam arrived, and we were led into a conference room. We took our seats around the table and Felipe began, "I'm glad you could all make it on such short notice. I appreciate your loyalty and will reward you kindly for you assistance in this matter."

            He looked around at each one of us and continued, "I realize the customary thing to do is to wait for a High Court session in cases like these, but with the attacks having been lead by a fellow king, I felt the need to move the hearing up a bit. In my investigations, I have found some interesting information. Both Victor and Lars have been here in Vegas over the last week, although Victor was brought here under false pretenses. They have been kept separate and have not been allowed to interact. Neither realizes we are aware that they were working together."

            He paused and looked right at me. "Sookie, I needed you here because Lars claims the entire plan was devised by the Fellowship of the Sun and that each attack was led by their soldiers, not vamps as we have claimed." He looked around and then his eyes came back to me. "What do you think about that?"

            I looked at Eric and he nodded, so I answered. "That is an interesting claim your highness, since I did not sense any other humans involved in the attack on Fangtasia. I listened for human thoughts and voices, but there were none in the area."

            He smiled. "I do not question you, dear girl. I simply need you to testify to that." He looked to the other Sheriffs and Alcide. "Were there any humans involved in your attacks?"

            They all shrugged their shoulders and agreed there had not been any humans attacking them either.

            "Thank you. I will need to speak to my Sheriffs and the Packmaster. The rest of you may enjoy the amenities of my hotel. We don't have much time before we must all rest, so I will not keep anyone long. I will see you tomorrow evening; we'll meet here around 7 p.m."

            I grabbed a room keycard from Eric and left with Bill, Pam, and Jerome. Pam and Bill offered to take me to get something to eat, which was surprising because Bill had always hated that I needed to eat. Jerome decided to come along and perhaps his presence was the reason for Bill's behavior. We had a nice time; no one but Bill seemed to mind watching me eat, and at this point I was enjoying watching him squirm a little.

            I mean, I felt bad he couldn't eat and it bothered him, but Eric was right. I was human and I couldn't not eat, so at this point, Bill could just suck it up. I finished eating and they finished their bloods, and we all headed back to our rooms. I could sense that the vampires were getting close to their time to rest and knew Eric would be back soon. When I got in our room, I was surprised to find Eric already there, stretched out naked on our bed. I undressed and smiled as I climbed in next to him. He opened his tired eyes and smiled back at me.

            "You should have called me. I would have come back up here sooner," I said, stretching out alongside his body.

            "Don't worry, Lover. I knew they'd get you back here to me. I have not been here long."

            "What did Felipe have to say?"

            He yawned and his eyes were getting heavy. He sighed, "Oh, Lover. Tomorrow night will be an ambush of a whole different kind."

            And then he slept, leaving me thinking about what the hell that could mean.


	9. Revelations

            When I woke up my body was totally confused, what with jet lag and keeping vampire hours recently. I checked my cell phone and saw it was 11 a.m. already. Eric was sleeping like the dead, but I was starving. I figured with the time change and sunset here in Vegas, he would be up around 4 or 4:30 p.m. I noticed I had a voice mail and got up to grab a piece of fruit from our welcome basket while I listened. As I munched my apple, I heard Alcide on the other end of the phone. Ugh. I wasn't awake enough for dealing with him yet, but I listened anyway.

            "Ah. Hey, Sookie. I know we haven't talked lately. I'm not sure if we're friends, or whatever, but since we're the only ones that will be up and around during the day I wanted to give you a call. Um. I'm sure Eric doesn't want you wandering around unprotected and, ah, if you want to get out of the room or something, just give me a call. I'll escort you where ever you want to go. I'll behave. I promise. I mean, I know Eric will kill me if I don't. So, yeah. Call me, if you want."

            Well crap. What was I supposed to think about that? Eric hadn't said anything about not going out alone, but Alcide was probably right. Damn, I hated that. And he was right. I didn't want to sit around in the hotel suite for like five hours. I called him back and asked him to meet me in the lobby in thirty minutes and teasingly made him promise again to behave. I grabbed a quick shower, pulled my hair back and threw on jeans and one of Eric's sweaters.

            When I made it to the lobby, Alcide was not hard to find. He looked good, and there were several women standing around looking at him. They were not happy to see me wave from the elevator and come over to greet him.

            He gave me a quick hug and smiled shyly. "Are we okay, Sookie?"

            I smiled back, "I'm not really sure what we are, but I think okay covers it."

            "Good. Okay. So what do you want to do?"

            "You'll think it's silly."

            "Whatever you want, I'm game."

            I grinned a little with embarrassment, "I want to eat at a big buffet, and I want to ride on the roller coaster."

            He laughed, "The roller coaster at New York, New York?"

            I nodded.

            "Okay, that's close by. Might I suggest we do the roller coaster first and then eat?"

            "Oh, yeah. Good idea."

            He smiled and cocked his head toward the door. "Then let's go."

            We walked down the strip, and I couldn't believe how busy it was, even before noon. People were walking around with drinks already and the little guys were handing out flyers of naked women. We were enjoying ourselves and taking pictures with my phone. I even posed with a guy that had on a t-shirt saying "GIRLS direct to your room!" We made it to New York, New York and wandered around a bit inside. I loved the way it looked like a true city inside. Alcide had been to New York City, so he was telling me about different landmarks in the hotel that he recognized. We headed for the roller coaster entrance, and I started to get nervous. I mean, I like roller coasters, but it was always a little scary to go on a new one for the first time. Alcide shook his head at me and laughed, and then he helped me into the tiny car for the ride.

            As the coaster came back inside the building to finish the ride, I was laughing and smiling, and I said the first thing that came to my mind, "I am so bringing Eric back here tonight!"

            Alcide winced a little but didn't say anything. I started to say something - I'm not even sure what I was going to say, 'I'm sorry you don't like my boyfriend?' But he stopped me.

            "No, Sookie. I'm behaving. You should be sure to bring him here tonight. I think he would like it."

            "Thanks," I said, and we were both thoughtful. After a few seconds I said, "So you've been to Vegas before, right? Where should we eat?"

            He thought for a minute. "Well, my favorite buffet is all the way down at the Bellagio. I think we should head down there, and I'll show you the Venetian too. I think you'll want to go there with Eric at night as well for a gondola ride."

            "A what?" I said laughing.

            "A gondola, you know, a little Italian boat."

            "They have those there? Man, I need to get out of Louisiana more!"

            He just laughed and put his arm out for me to take his elbow. I put my hand in the crook of his arm, and we headed down the strip. It was a long walk, but I enjoyed all of the sites and seeing all of the people. As we walked by the Bellagio, the fountain show was in progress, and it was amazing. I had seen it on the Travel Channel, but it was so cool to be right there in front of it. After a while, we made our way into the hotel and found the buffet. I had to laugh a little; they weren't going to make any money off Alcide at the buffet. Weres could eat.

            I was on my second plate and Alcide on his third when the conversation kind of dried up. I felt like he had something to say, so I put down my utensils and just waited.

            Finally he sighed. "I'm really trying to behave, Sookie." He looked at me for a minute and then continued, "I know the vamps think I'm jealous and I want you back, but that isn't it. I'm no good for any woman right now. I'm still trying to get over losing Maria Star. I'm just worried for you. Eric isn't the most predictable of vampires, and he has never really had a human mate before from what I've heard. I just don't want you to get hurt."

            "I appreciate your concern, Alcide, but what can I do about it? I mean, I'm worried for me too, but I can't risk giving up what I have with him because it might not work out. He's risking a lot to be with me. His Area, his business, and the loyalty of the vampires in his area, not to mention the other sheriffs…I think I can risk being with him."

            He shook his head at me. "You're amazing. Sookie, he has rebuilt his life countless times over the course of 1,000 years. You talk like the biggest risk to you is getting your heart broken again. I'm not worried about your heart as much as I am your mortal life. Can't you see that?"

            I was a little shocked. I mean, it kind of put things in perspective. But I just looked at him and said what I was thinking, "I'm not sure I have a life without him any more." He started to say something and I stopped him. "Alcide, I know how hard it's been for you since Maria Star. You just told me you're not ready to move on. That's how I feel about Eric. I think it's just taken us both a while to come to terms with our bond and our feelings for each other."

            I could not believe I was having this conversation with Alcide when Eric and I hadn't really talked about it yet. This was actually the first time I was able to put to words some of the things that needed to be said.

            He reached out and put his hand over mine on the table. "Sookie, if you love him as much I love Maria," he paused, and I thought about how he still used the present tense. "Then you should commit and be with him always. Don't miss a single moment with him. Do you understand? I won't get in your way, and I'll do anything I can for you to make it work." His eyes were a little teary and I thought I might cry as well.

            "Thank you, Alcide," I sniffed.

            He gave me a little smile and raised his eyebrows. "I don't know about you, I need some dessert."

            I laughed and nodded. We headed up and found some devilishly good treats. By the time we had finished eating, I was ready to walk back to the hotel, grab a shower, and nap with Eric. Tonight was going to be a big night for several reasons. I had figured out how I felt about Eric, but I wasn't sure what that would mean for our future. I mean, I still didn't want to be turned, but could we live together if I wasn't? Where would we live? What was going to happen tonight with Felipe, Lars, and Victor? It was too much to think about.

            I showered to get Alcide's scent off of me and sent my clothes to the cleaners. I wasn't hiding it from Eric, I would tell him right away, but there was no need to have the smell around to make him angry. I stretched out in bed next to him, but my mind was racing, and I couldn't sleep. So I made coffee and did my hair and make up, then sat in the living room in my robe, drinking coffee and looking out the window.

            I heard a rustling noise, and Eric was standing in the doorway, rubbing his face. When he finished stretching, I could feel him searching the bond to see how I was feeling. He came over and crouched in front of me.

            "Lover, is everything alright?"

            "Yeah, I'm okay. I just did a lot of thinking today."

            "And what prompted that, Lover?"

            "Something Alcide said today at lunch," I said without thinking.

            Eric tensed, and I felt frustration and anger in the bond.

            "We had a nice day, Eric. He went with me because he didn't think you would want me to go out alone." That made him feel a little, but not altogether, better. "He told me he was worried about my safety being with you." Before he could get angry I looked into his eyes and continued, "I realized I don't want to live without you." Okay, now he was shocked. I smiled and put my hands on his cheeks. "It just struck me that I'm not really afraid of what could happen, because the worst thing I can imagine is losing you." I felt joy and warmth flooding through the bond.

            He kissed me gently and took me into his arms. Then after a minute he pulled back and looked into my eyes for a few seconds before walking to the window and looking out. I'm sure it was only seconds, but if felt like hours that he stood there gazing out at the hotel grounds. Then he turned and leaned on the glass and his eyes found mine.

            "Sookie, I need to tell you something. That night at your home, when Compton said he would die for you." He shook his head a little. "I was offended for you that he would offer such a weak profession of love, but I knew it would not have been right to redress him. It was not the right place or time, but you need to understand. Compton might lay down his life, but would he raise a sword? He would die for you, Lover, but I, I would kill for you. I would protect and defend you, and if I died in the process, so be it."

            He held out his hand and I walked towards him, our eyes locked together. Before gathering me in his arms, he put his hands in my hair and kissed my forehead. "I have relocated and started over many times over the years, and yet, I don't know if I could do it again without you."

            I wrapped my arms around him and kissed him. It was passionate, yet tender. He pulled back to look into my eyes again, and I knew I had to say it.

            "Eric, I'm in love with you."

            He sighed, it was almost a shudder. "Lover, I am yours. I have never felt this way before, not in my human life and not in 1,000 years as a vampire. You make me feel things I have long thought were dead in me. When you are near, I feel your heart beat and it's as if I am alive again. I never thought I would say this, but Sookie, I love you, too." And then he clutched me so tight I thought he might break my ribs. Tears ran down my face, not from his grasp, but from the joy we were both feeling.

            He stepped back and held my hands. "Lover, there is much more we must talk about, but it will have to wait. The others will be here soon, and we'll need to talk about what is going to happen tonight. I need to shower and change, but first, I need you to drink from me." I knew he could feel my resistance and he continued, "We must go into this tonight with you at your strongest. I do not think you are in danger, but we need to refresh our bond. It will ease my mind." He stroked my hands and asked, "Will you do it?"

            I nodded my head, and he raised his wrist to his mouth. I heard the awful crunching noise, and he held the wound in front of my mouth. Eric sighed as I began to suck at his arm. There really was nothing more erotic than drinking your lover's lifeblood. I felt his erection against my hip, and I was getting aroused just remembering other times I had taken his blood like this. It always seemed to really turn us both on, and this time was no different.

            Eric put his other arm around my waist and turned me in his arms so my back was against the window. Then I felt my robe slide down and my underwear were ripped off. With only that warning, he was pushing inside of me. I gasped, and he pulled his arm away from my mouth. Then he thrust all of the way in and began moving in and out of me slowly. I wrapped a leg around his waist and he kissed my neck and kneaded my breast with one hand. The other hand found its way to my center and worked its magic and I began to whimper. I had my hands on his hips and was pushing back against him in time with his slow strokes to take him in farther. I could feel myself getting close, and I knew Eric was too. Before I could even say, "Faster," he increased his pace and began pounding into me.

            I felt Eric's desire to drink from me, so I moved my hair from my neck. He growled and bit down, and we came at the same time. I was so overwhelmed it took me a second to realize the voice in my head saying, I love you, wasn't mine. I stiffened for a second and Eric tensed as he licked my wound closed.

            "What is it, Lover?"

            Oh hell, should I tell him? He would get it out of me eventually, so I said quietly, "I heard you."

            He chuckled. "I'm sure you did, Lover. I roared like a lion in your ear when I came."

            "No, Eric. I heard you thinking. Think something else."

            He cocked his head and looked into my eyes. I want you to cover me in that chocolate you love and lick me clean.

            I felt myself blush a little, but I grinned at him. Really? Won't that be messy?

            Eric's eyes got wide and then he laughed. "This could be fun, Lover."

            "You're not upset? I mean, I can learn to shield it."

            "Sookie, I do not think it is part of your telepathy. If I can do it too, it is because of our bond. I do not think we can shield each other from this."

            "Oh. Shit."

            He laughed again. "It will be okay, Lover. We will just have to get used to it."

            "Do you think I can hear other vamps now?"

            "I don't know. I wouldn't think so. But several of them will be here in," he looked at the clock, "About fifteen minutes. So we'll find out then." I was feeling a little panicky and he could feel it, too. He took me in his arms and held me, rubbing circles on my back. "Lover, I will be with you always now. That can't be so bad, right? In the long run, it will be to our advantage, I'm sure of it. Now, let's get ready to meet our guests." He kissed my forehead and took a step back, grinning at me. "You'd better find your underwear while I get in the shower."


	10. A Regime Change

            Luckily, I located my underwear and put them in the bedroom trash can, because they had not survived the Viking raid. Eric was still dressing when the others began arriving.

            Everyone was laughing when they came in, Alcide was telling a story, and I hoped it wasn't about me. It turned out he had run into some Vegas supes in the casino and was telling the group how he had beaten them all at Texas Hold 'Em. He had made $3,000 and was quite happy with himself. I stood behind Bill and listened to see if I could hear his thoughts.

            Eric walked in to find me standing behind Bill's chair concentrating on trying to hear him. I heard Eric make a little laughing noise and then he thought, Do not hurt yourself, Lover. I did not think you would be able to hear anyone else.

            After Pam handed out a round of drinks, we got down to business. The plan for the night was to question Lars first, and basically let him bury himself. Then Alcide would talk about his cousin, without letting Lars know exactly who he was, and I would testify that there were no other humans present at Fangtasia. Victor would sit in on the whole thing and eventually, Felipe's staff would present the phone records showing that not only was Victor in Shreveport the night of the attacks, but that he and Lars had talked more than one hundred times in the two weeks leading to New Year's. It all sounded very cut and dried and as if nothing could go wrong. I was not quite naive enough to believe it though.

            As we made our way up to Felipe's suite, I hung back with Eric and caught his attention. I still didn't have the hang of this talking through the bond thing.

            He laughed at me and I heard him think, Lover, you don't need to get me alone anymore, just think whatever you need to and I'll hear it.

            Fine. I thought. I want to know how you are going to get all of the security tapes from Felipe from yesterday.

            Security tapes? Why do we need those?

            Because he has tapes of us… you know… in the elevator!

            Yes, I do know. His security system is state of the art. The video is actually quite good.

            I grabbed his arm. What do you mean the video is good?

            Relax, Lover. He gave me the CD last night. He had the hard drives wiped clean so no one could upload it to the internet, but he thought we might want a copy as a souvenir.

            Souvenir? I want to destroy it!

            He burned me with his eyes. Oh, Lover, I think we'll watch it together and then you can decide if you don't want to keep it, or make more for that matter.

            Then he leaned down and kissed my neck, giving me a lick right over my pulse. He had done it to me again. We were walking in to an important meeting and my body couldn't decide if it wanted to throw up or have an orgasm.

            Felipe greeted us and brought us into the conference room. He introduced us to Dani and Jeanette, two of his D.D.'s who he explained were there to document the hearing, the representatives from the AVL, and the Tribunal Court officers that had flown in for the hearing. Victor was sitting to the right of Felipe's vacant seat. The king showed off by offering the vamps True Blood's new Virgin drink that apparently had pheromones or hormones in it to make it taste, well, virginal. I didn't really understand, it was synthetic but they were using real hormones? It just upped the ick factor on TrueBlood for me. Oddly though, he served the blood from a carafe and gave it to everyone in coffee mugs.

            I'll be damned, but that is genius, I thought and Eric almost spit his drink out. I mean, I'm sure it stays warm longer that way as opposed to just serving in the bottle. Anyway, Alcide and I were offered coffee or water. Thanks for breaking the bank on us.

            Lars was brought in and seated at the end of the table. He was wearing long leather gloves and what I assumed to be silver handcuffs. This was actually my first look at the Florida King. He was tall and appeared to be Nordic, very blond and blue eyed, but I had no idea how old he was.

            Not old enough, Lover. He's only about 400 years old. He had a rapid rise in Florida. There are many hurricanes and a lot of vampire turnover in the sunshine state.

            Felipe began reading the list of accusations against Lars. Everyone was quiet, and then Lars was asked to speak in his own defense. He told a story of being framed by the Fellowship of the Sun to drive a wedge between the vampire kings.

            One of the AVL reps asked him what evidence he had that FotS was involved. He talked about strange hang up calls on his cell phone and a fire at his dry cleaning store that in no way indicated FotS involvement to me. I felt Eric willing me to keep my mouth shut through the bond.

            I am behaving, Eric. Leave me alone.

            Speak to me like that in private all you want, Lover, but remember the king thinks you like to obey me.

            I don't think I ever gave him the impression I liked it.

            We quieted our minds and listened as the court members asked some of their own questions. Nothing Lars said was anywhere near convincing to me. He talked about human bodies found outside of the recently attacked establishments that indicated the New Year's attacks were part of a larger plan.

            I had to bite back my sarcasm, I mean really, FotS was not responsible for drug over-doses and drainings that occasionally happened near vamp bars and parties. I had no idea how Lars thought he would get away with this, using such a pathetic excuse.

            After a few more questions, Felipe gave Lars a pitiful look and said, "That is all quite interesting. But not only do I have a witness from one of the attacks that will confirm there were no humans involved in the raid, but I have another witness who has knowledge that you planned these attacks from the supe bar in Jacksonville."

            He let that sink in a little and asked Lars what he had to say to that. He really had no response and looked completely shocked he had been found out. Alcide and I quickly made our statements, and we were all asked to take a break while the court officers and the AVL folks made a decision. Lars was escorted to a room across the hall and the rest of us stepped into the suite for more refreshments.

            I stood by Eric and Pam and said, "Well, that wasn't nearly as bad as I expected."

            Pam looked at me like I was a little crazy, she did that a lot, and Eric said, "Oh, Lover, that was the easy part. I'm afraid the bloody part is about to start." He squeezed my shoulder and his thoughts continued. When we return to the hearing, Lover, be sure you sit next to me. I do not know how Victor will react to being threatened.

            We regrouped in the conference room a few minutes later, although without Lars, and Felipe didn't wait a second to stir things up. "The representatives from the Court and from the Vampire League have determined what they think an appropriate punishment should be. Before we discuss that, I'd like to ask Victor how he feels about this. He is my second in command in Louisiana, and this did all happen under his watch."

            Victor cleared his throat; he clearly felt powerful and unbeatable. "Attacking another king is a heinous crime. Making three coordinated attacks on vamps and an attack on supes in the area at the same time is unforgivable."

            I could feel myself starting to hyperventilate a little; the man was about to throw himself out in to the sunshine and he had no idea.

            Eric put his hand on my leg. Lover, just wait. Be ready to run if this gets ugly.

            But Victor just continued, "If we are trying to make our place in society, we cannot be plotting against each other like savages. Lars should be sent into the sun, there is no question." He looked around, clearly quite pleased with the speech he had made.

            Felipe smiled. "That is what you truly believe, Victor?"

            He confused Felipe's evil smile with one that said he was proud of his second in command and gave a firm nod.

            "That is good to know. Now, let me allow two more witnesses to speak about your involvement in this ordeal."

            Victor visibly paled, not that he could get much more pale, but he did. You could feel the tension in the room. The AVL folks were stunned, and you could see Victor's jaw working as he tried to come up with something to say to save himself.

            Dani spoke about her job pinging cell phone calls. She told everyone Victor had been in Shreveport, two blocks from Fangtasia, when Felipe called to warn him about the attacks. I truly think there was smoke coming from one of the AVL guy's ears. Then Jeanette explained that once they knew Victor was lying about his whereabouts on New Year's they investigated his connection with Lars. Not only had they found the over one hundred phone calls between Lars and Victor in the two weeks before the attack, they had discovered a very large wire transfer going from one of Victor's businesses to Lars' Dry Cleaners account. Victor looked like a cornered animal; it was not going to be good.

            Felipe began to make a grand statement about how glad he was that Victor knew the consequences of his crime when I saw the muscles in Victor's shoulders tense. Eric pushed me back just as Victor launched himself at the king. In the same instant, Pam grabbed me and the Sheriffs moved toward Victor. They were too late though, because he was beginning to disintegrate and goo was flying across the room. Felipe picked the gooey stake up from the floor and handed it to a very shell shocked Jeanette.

            Everyone was a little dazed, and Felipe was bleeding where Victor had grabbed his throat going in for the kill. After a moment, the king spoke, "Well, I did not quite wish for that ending to the evening, but I had prepared, just in case. Now, we have agreed that Lars will also meet his final death due to his role in the attacks, not to mention his blatant attempt to lie about it. The court officers will handle all of that. You are all dismissed. Please enjoy your stay here at my hotel. If you'll excuse me, I need to get cleaned up." He strode from the room without a backwards glance and was gone.

            Eric checked in with me through the bond but I was okay. This wasn't my first vamp murder, it wasn't pleasant by any means, but all of my vamps were safe, and I just wanted to get out of there. Our group from Louisiana headed back to our room downstairs. We each had a little bit of vampire goo on us, but we had all been at the far end of the table, so a change of clothes and a wet cloth here and there were really all we required.

            Alcide was looking thoroughly disgusted with all things vamp and said he would see us in the morning. He told me to call him if I wanted breakfast. Eric actually thanked him, and he was gone. We were all still pretty shocked, or at least I was in such a state of shock I thought they were too. All I knew was no one seemed to want to talk about what had just happened.

            Since we were in Vegas, we decided to head downstairs and do some gambling. Eric offered to teach me how to play roulette. He explained the basics of the game to me and that I could bet on specific numbers, just the colors, odd or even numbers, or all of the above. He gave me some chips and nudged me towards the table. I didn't know how much the chips were for, but I bet one on red.

            The wheel spun and spun and landed black. I read the number board to see if there was a pattern to help me decide what I should bet on next.

            "That board means nothing, Lover. Every time it's a 50/50 chance. Just pick what you want."

            Well, I like red. It was the color of love, blood and vampires, so I stuck with it again. The ball was dropped and I watched the wheel spinning…red! The dealer added some chips to my stack and  
 Eric smiled. "You'll win more if you choose a specific number."

            "I'll lose more often if I pick a specific number too."

            "Just making sure you had listened." He stood behind me and rubbed my back. We played for a while and I ended up making a little money. It didn't seem real since it was chips, and I handed it all back to Eric.

            He grinned at me, "Lover, you may keep your winnings."

            I kind of wrinkled my nose, "Nah, it's yours." I took his hand and headed towards Pam and Bill playing craps.

            "Lover, you just won two thousand dollars."

            I stopped in my tracks. "I what?"

            "Well, you started with $10,000 and just handed me twelve, so you won two thousand."

            "Why on earth would you give me $10,000? Oh my lord, what if I had dropped a chip? Eric, that is too much money!" I was rambling.

            He pulled me into his arms for a kiss and his cell phone rang. "Northman," he answered with a growl. Eric stepped slightly away from the gaming tables so he could hear and spoke only for a moment and then returned. "Lover, we need to call Barry and your shifter boss. Felipe would like us to stay an extra day."

            "What does that mean?"

            He sighed a little. "I think it means I am going to be his second in command."


	11. Surprises

            After I digested what Eric said, well, partially digested it, I realized I was not ready to talk about it or think about it. From the look on his face and the tension I felt through the bond, I guessed Eric wasn't either. Too much had happened in one night. So I grabbed his hand and pulled him towards the door.

            "Come on, there's something I want to do with you." He snapped out of his thoughts and gave me a sexy leer. "Not that!"

            We held hands as I walked him down to New York, New York. We could see the roller coaster moving outside the building, and he sensed my excitement.

            "This is where you're taking me, Lover?" He was grinning from ear to ear. "I had no idea you were so adventurous."

            I laughed. "I lover roller coasters. The anticipation, the rush, it's great."

            We went on the coaster twice; me screaming and Eric just enjoying the wind in his hair. I should have known that the exhilaration would excite him. Afterwords we stood on the fake Brooklyn Bridge practically having sex on the street. I pulled back after finally hearing some of the thoughts of passer-bys.

            "Get a room!"  
 "Fangbangers, Ugh."  
 "He's fucking her with his mouth!"

            I was a little offended, but glad they were thinking it and not shouting at us. I grinned at my Viking and pulled him along back to the hotel. He had to un-tuck his shirt and was walking stiffly, but we made it. I held him off in the elevator. I so didn't want another video of us out there somewhere, but I started unbuttoning my shirt in the hallway to tease him.

            I backed into the room and was pulling him into my arms when Eric spun me around behind him and made a horrible hissing sound. I was trying to clear my head and figure out what was going on when Niall stepped out of the shadows, and Eric relaxed slightly.

            "Prince, you surprised me."

            "Yes, Viking. I see that. I also see that you are very protective of my granddaughter. That pleases me."

            We came fully into the room, and I tried to be nonchalant as I re-buttoned my shirt. We all sat down in the living area, and I was wracking my brains to figure out why Niall was here. Eric didn't respond to my thoughts other than to think, "Relax, Lover. He is your blood." That really didn't make me feel any better.

            "I understand that Victor is dead," Niall began and looked at Eric. "This leaves a gap in Felipe's defenses, does it not?"

            "In a sense, yes it does," Eric answered, while mentally shushing me and telling me to wait to find out what Niall was after before telling him that we thought Felipe planned to use Eric to fill the gap.

            "You are a shrewd individual Northman. Do you not think this is the right time for you to move ahead in the ranks of your kind?"

            I was seriously getting angry with my grandfather. He hadn't said a word to me since we walked in. Eric was trying to calm me through the bond while trying not to tip his hand to Niall.

            "The selection of Victor's replacement is up to Felipe. I will accept the position if it is offered."

            Niall smiled, "You would do this without consulting your bonded?"

            Okay, now Eric was pissed at him too. I, however, had now moved into stark raving mad at both of them. How dare Eric say that he would accept it! We hadn't even talked about it! I heard Eric in my head loud and clear.

            "Listen to me, Sookie. You will understand." And then he was speaking out loud. "Niall, I am unclear on the purpose of your visit. But you are coming close to crossing a line into dangerous territory with me. You know full well that anyone Felipe offers this position to will have to accept. It would be a death wish to decline. The king will see it as disloyalty and disobedience. Refusal is not an option." Eric was right of course, and I did understand but was reminded again that I hated vampire politics.

            Niall was still smiling and it was still irritating Eric.

            "You continue to please me, Northman." He paused and looked at each of us to be sure he had our attention. "I am here tonight because there are things that the two of you need to know about your bond. I know that you and Sookie are able to communicate with your minds now. It was the sign I was waiting for to come and explain things to you."

            Ok, he had my interest. Eric was trying to act casual, but I could tell how tense he was, or perhaps it was just Niall's scent doing that. Eric took my hand, and I spoke on our behalf, sensing that my bonded was very much on edge.

            "Grandfather, please, start explaining."

            He looked at me like he was a little surprised I had spoken up. I think he was not used to women being independent or strong, which was very strange because those are two of the words that came to mind immediately when I thought of my cousin Claudine.

            "Sookie, the pairing of a vampire and a fairy, even a partial fairy, is quite rare. I'm sure your Viking already knows this." Eric made a nodding motion, waiting for Niall to tell us more. "As you know, I've been aware of your bond, and I know things about your connection that may surprise you. I am not able to see into your minds, do not concern yourself with that. The fae magick allows me to see the strength of your bond, and that tells me a great deal. The fact that you are now hearing each others thoughts means that the bond is much stronger than even I anticipated. It means that you will always be connected, for eternity."

            Eric was still very tense, but he gave my hand a squeeze and cleared his throat. "Sookie is not immortal. We do not have an eternity together."

            "That is what I am trying to explain. The two of you are, as best as I can describe it, soul mates. Whenever the two of you met in the course of time, you were destined to be together. You are the pair we've been waiting for."

            I was feeling overwhelmed. It was a good thing right? I wanted to be with Eric. But destiny….eternity? They had been waiting for us? I was getting a little claustrophobic. Eric was laughing a little in his head as he listened to my thoughts flying everywhere. Really, what I was freaking about was that I could sense Niall had more to say. What more could there be after immortality and soul mates? Eric had actually calmed. I didn't understand him sometimes. Then he asked the question, because he knew I wasn't going to be able to talk, "And what more does this mean?"

            "Well, the short version is that the combination of your blood will make Sookie immortal, well, barring a few bizarre circumstances. You will not need to turn her vampire if you continue to renew your bond. Sookie, you will need to drink from Eric at least weekly. And Sookie's fae magick will now flourish and grow. She may eventually learn to teleport and wield some control over the forces of nature." He looked at me and made sure I was paying attention. "As Eric cannot touch silver, you should avoid iron. You cannot touch it with your skin. If it has not bothered you yet, I believe you will become more sensitive to it over time. And lemons, they can burn you." He sighed. "There is a story in Faery about a fated couple from different worlds who will help us during a war on the Supernaturals. I believe that you are that couple."

            I'm sure my eyes were wide open from taking everything in. I had a lot of questions, but I was mostly worried that even though we were destined, that my fae blood would drive Eric, well, insane. Niall assured me that as a bonded pair Eric would be no more influenced by my blood than he had been already. Unfortunately, I would smell sweeter to other vamps, but luckily, I would not have the scent of a full blown fairy. Basically, he said I would smell delightful, but resistible.

            "Alright, so you said that I may learn to teleport and control nature. How will I learn to use these powers?"

            He explained that I would need lessons from Claude or Claudine for a while. He suggested visiting them in Faery or having come to me a couple of times each week. He seemed to think that I couldn't answer that question right away, but I told him that I didn't want to leave Eric if I didn't have to. Really, I just didn't like the idea of traveling to another realm on a regular basis. I felt like that was asking for trouble. Regardless, I felt Eric's pride and pleasure hum through the bond when I said it.

            We were all quiet for a while, and Eric knew I was done for the night. It was late, or early if you will, and I still needed to talk to him about the whole second in command business, and now we were a destined pair.

            Eric took the lead and stood up. "Niall, I have a feeling that there is more for you to tell us, but Sookie really cannot handle any more tonight. She needs to process all that has happened and all she has learned."

            "Yes, Viking, there is more to tell, and I can see that my granddaughter needs to rest. There is one additional important detail that I must share with you tonight. As your connection continues to grow you will find it difficult to be separated for more than a few days. In addition, neither of you will survive more than a short time after the other dies. You are destined to be together always now that you have found each other."

            I was blinking rapidly and looking at Eric, and I thought I was going to be sick. How many times in the past two years had we come close to death?

            Niall stood to leave. He stopped and took my hands in his. "Granddaughter, I know you are afraid, but this is your fate, your destiny. You would have found your way to Eric no matter what. Everything that being fae entails will make your life better and easier." Oh, I so didn't believe that. "Also, you have my phone numbers, but you need to know, now that you are coming into your own, all you need to do is call my name, and I will come to you. The same goes for your cousins, although they don't always listen very well. If you need to get a message to me you can place it under the fairy statue in your front garden. It will be found."

            I was confused; I didn't have a fairy statue in my garden.

            Niall seemed to understand the look on my face and smiled, "Claudine put them there this afternoon. There is one in Bon Temps and one outside of the Viking's home. They wield protection on you and yours and proclaim the presence of the Royal bloodline to those who would recognize it." He pressed his cheek to mine and stepped away. With a nod to Eric, he disappeared.

            I think my eyes were still a little buggy. What a night. Eric crouched in front of me and put a hand on my cheek. "Lover, all is well."

            I just looked at him. All is well? All is freaking well? I am becoming an immortal fairy and our lives are locked together. I was going to have to drink his blood weekly. There was a war predicted based on our pairing. Death of one is death to the other, and he is probably going to be the second in command, the head vamp on the ground in Louisiana for the king. I would probably have to quit my job in Bon Temps to live in Shreveport, and I couldn't very likely work at his bar and have vampires drooling over me all of the time.

            He put his other hand on the other side of my face and kissed me deeply but sweetly. He put his forehead on mine and sighed. "Lover, all of these things are trivial. We know now that we are meant to be together. None of those little things matter. We have found each other, and we will be together for eternity. You do not have to become vampire."

            I could hear his thoughts and was amazed that he was controlling himself so well. What was going on inside of his head sounded nothing like the heartfelt words he'd just managed to say. Every other thought in his mind was that I smelled like fairy, and he wanted to fuck me and rub the scent all over himself.

            "Lover, we have centuries to work out the details. Come to bed with me." He was still being calm outwardly, but I could see the erection in his pants and the lust in his eyes that matched his wicked thoughts. This mind reading thing was pretty hot.

            I knew I wasn't going to have an important conversation with him all jacked up on fairy, and his lust was definitely heating me up through the bond. I stood and began to unbutton his shirt. "I can hear what you're thinking," I whispered. "You don't want to go to the bedroom."

            "No," he growled. "I want to fuck you right here in front of the window." He began rubbing my nipples through my shirt.

            "No one can see in the window, Eric. It's tinted glass."

            He kissed me right below my ear and then sucked on my earlobe, "Imagine if they could, Lover."

            He tore off my shirt and bra. So much for that lesson on how hard it was to find a good one. Then he turned me around and my nipples brushed the cool glass. He held my hands up over my head and then slowly kissed his way down my back. He lowered my skirt and ripped away my thong. I heard his zipper go down and knew the pause was so that he could kick out of his pants and dress shoes. Then his hands slid up the inside of my thighs. "Mmmmm," was all I could manage to say.

            I could hear his thoughts and they had gone from dirty to triple x. He was now listing places that he wanted to cum in me and on me. "..In her womb, in her throat, on her back, on her breasts. I want her to be covered in my scent for weeks."

            My brain was really no longer working, I'm pretty sure the only thoughts in my head were a running loop that was something like, "Yes, please. Don't stop. Oh lord. Do it now. Keep going. More..."

            He used his hands to slightly spread my legs, and I gasped a little as his tongue began to caress me. I was so hot, and it was so cool, the contrast was heating me up even more. He set a driving pace with his tongue thrusting into me and moved one hand forward to rub my clit. I was leaning hard against the window and pushing myself into his face and hand. He had learned my responses and knew as my breath caught that I was about to come. At that instant he turned his head and sank his teeth into my thigh to drink. That was all I needed, and I was soaring.

            As he licked my wounds I could still hear his filthy thoughts as he tried to decide if he wanted to take me right here or bend me over the back of the couch. He stood up slowly, his chest lightly grazing along my entire body. As he reached his full height I felt his erection against by lower back, and I shuddered. I had to have him. Immediately. I moaned and started to turn around, reaching for him, but he grabbed my arms with one hand and held them up over my head again.

            He used his other hand to caress my side, and with a groan he spread his legs apart to even our heights and thrust into me hard. He continued to hold my hands up so all I could do was push back against him. He grabbed my hair with his free hand and pulled my mouth around for a kiss. He was frantically thrusting into me as hard as he could, the side of my head was bumping against the glass when he growled deep in his throat and licked my pulse, "You are mine, forever." The he released my hands and moved both arms around my waist to hold onto me. He bit into my neck, and we came together. Our thoughts swirled between us, a combination of love, fairy lust and satisfaction.

            I was shaky on my feet, and he carried me to the bedroom. We lay together, just looking into each others eyes. "Eric," I started, but he cut me off.

            "Lover, we have much to discuss and much to think about. But you still smell of fairy," he nudged me with his erection, "and I am no where near done with you for the evening."

            I was trying to hold some sort of resolve and wanted to pull away to talk or think when he leaned up on his elbow and began kissing below my ear and then licking and sucking my ear lobe. I was a sucker for that, just like he was, and my mind shut down again. All I could think of was Eric and all of the ways he wanted to take me.

            He laughed. "I forget you can hear me lover. This could make our love making quite interesting." He gently licked my lips, upper and then lower, before lightly biting my bottom lip.

            I took him into my hands and began teasing him with slow strokes. "Was there an order to the ways you wanted to have me, or is this good?"

            He began rocking his hips into my hands. "Ladies choice."

            I laughed and moved down to take him in my mouth as he groaned. We spent hours exploring each other. He tried every position he thought of earlier and then some. My body was achingly sore, and he gave me some blood after our last round of sex. I thought that if I could get out of bed in the morning, I was going to have to go straight to the spa for a massage. Eric just laughed. He led me to the shower to clean up and ease my muscles.

            Every time I showered with him it was more erotic than the last. This one had ended with Eric pulling down the towel bar and me almost falling out of the shower because of it. The glass in our room had been treated to protect vamps from the sun, but apparently the shower had not been built with vamp strength in mind.

            After he brushed my hair and rubbed lotion all over my body, we curled together in the bed. Then we slept like we were both dead.


	12. Something in the Air

 I had a late breakfast with Alcide at the hotel. Okay, it was really lunch, but it was my first meal. Then I headed to the spa for my massage and facial. Alcide went to the gym and said maybe he'd see me before he flew home. I had told him Eric and I were staying an extra day, but I didn't give any indication why.

            I dawdled in the cafe and the gift shops, hoping I could time it so Eric would be up and showered by the time I went back to the room. I knew if I was there when he woke, we would end up in bed and our discussion about everything that had happened the night before would never happen. I sat in the cafe and had some coffee as I made two lists of questions. One list was regarding the Second in Command job and the other was about everything Niall had told us. I went to the gift shop and picked up some playing cards and sparkly sunglasses for myself and a shot glass for poor Felicia. She still thought I would be the death of her, but she seemed to at least like me. When I felt like the cashier thought I might be casing the joint, I made my purchases and figured I should head up stairs.

            Eric was in the living area of our suite using the laptop when I came in. He smiled, "Lover, I missed you when I woke up."

            I smiled, "I've missed you all day, but I knew we had things to discuss, and it wouldn't happen in bed."

            "Or in the shower."

            "No, not in the shower, either."

            He made that sexy come hither motion he used. "Come, sit, Lover, where would you like to begin?" I pulled my lists out of my purse and he barked with laughter. "You are serious, Lover."

            I shrugged my shoulders. "A lot of serious stuff happened last night." He was smiling, so I knew he was only teasing me. I had felt it through the bond, but I needed his face for reassurance. "I guess we should talk about what De Castro might offer you."

            He leaned forward with his elbows on his knees. "Mind you, I am not certain that he will offer it to me, but he hinted at it. Then with Niall coming here, it seems very likely." He stood and walked to the window. Because of his age he was awake in the early evening and the sun was quickly disappearing from the sky. He looked wistfully through the glass and I knew he liked being able to safely see the setting sun, even for only a few minutes, before it was gone. He turned back to me and spoke, "Lover, being second in command will keep us in Shreveport, but will require trips around the state and also out here to Vegas on a fairly regular basis." He paused, looking over his shoulder at the sky bleeding to gray, then looked back at me, "I'm afraid that because of this and what Niall told us last night that you will no longer be able to work at Merlotte's."

            I nodded. "I know, Eric. I called Sam today. He isn't happy, and he doesn't understand. I told him I would talk to him when I got back. In the meantime, Barry will get someone to fill in for me until Sam finds a replacement."

            "Sookie, you know I never really liked you working at that bar, but I would not have forced you to quit."

            I put down my lists and walked to him at the window. Wrapping my arms around his waist, I leaned my head on his chest. "I know, Eric. It's okay. There are just a lot of things changing for me."

            "I have been thinking of what else you could do in Shreveport. Of course it is up to you; you can go to school or stay home if you choose. It will probably not be possible for you to work for a human or a shifter anymore. You will need to work at one of my businesses or at the business of one of my subjects. I have a few in mind to suggest, but we can discuss that any time."

            "When will you meet with him?"

            "In thirty minutes. Everyone else is headed back to Louisiana shortly. I had a message that Dani will meet us in the king's suite, and the two of you are to go to dinner on his tab."

            I was still standing with my arms wrapped around him. "I understand what you told Niall about having to accept the position. What will it mean for me? Will Felipe be able to require my services?"

            Eric sighed. "It really won't change, Lover. I don't think you realize how much power he already had over us. He will never be able to require your assistance without my presence. I can not decline his offer, but the position would give me more respect from both Felipe and other kings."

            "How much more danger will we be in?"

            "Lover, we are always in danger."

            "Yes, but will we be in more danger?"

            He gave a chuckle. I loved it when he laughed and I had my head on his chest. "I truly cannot say. We will have to wait and see." He gave me a tight hug and sighed. "Lover, you smell delicious."

            "Mmmm," I sighed. "I went to the spa today." I just stood in his embrace. I was relaxed from my massage, and Eric was sending waves of calm through the bond. I loved how he did that.

            I checked my watch and realized that I needed to hurry and shower so I could go to dinner with Dani. I was planning on just ordering room service, but now I needed to be ready for something more.

            Eric kissed the top of my head. He had been listening to me ramble in my head, and he told me that there was a dress in the bedroom Felipe had sent for me. That scared me a little. Eric kissed my neck. "I already checked lover. It is beautiful and appropriate."

            When we entered King de Castro's suite exactly thirty minutes later, he greeted us and a vampire body guard turned butler offered us drinks. Eric was again given the Virgin TrueBlood and I was got a gin and tonic. I thanked Felipe for my dress. It was beautiful and just as Eric said, appropriate, basically a little black dress just kicked up a Vegas notch with some serious cleavage. He apologized that he needed to have a private meeting with Eric but promised that Dani and I would be given the royal treatment in the hotel's premiere restaurant.

            We said our goodbyes, and Eric said he would call me when he was finished.

            Dani and I had a nice dinner. The prime rib they had was to die for. She told me how she ended up being a D.D. for Felipe, and it was about as funny as how I got mixed up with all of the vamps and supes. She didn't go looking for the job; it found her - working as a human resources person who could track down the lies in anyone's resume. Before the Great Revelation, she worked in one of Felipe's hotels without having any idea it was vamp run. Her supervisor had asked her to stay late one night, and she met Felipe who needed some assistance tracking the activities of another vamp. She was totally freaked out at the time, but he began paying her very well for the side jobs she did for him, and she earned his trust. After the Revelation, when he came out of the coffin, he promoted her to working for him full-time.

            I had a slight headache, but we hadn't heard from Eric when we finished dinner so I couldn't go back to the room. Dani handed me some chips that Felipe had provided us, and we headed to the casino. I made sure to ask her how much they were worth - it was only $1,000 this time. It could seriously help me with my bills this month, but I didn't think it would be right to just go cash it in! We played some black jack, and Dani explained some of the basic ideas. All I knew was that you wanted to get as close to twenty-one as possible without going over, apparently there was a lot more to it. After I lost about half of my chips, my cell phone rang. I finished the hand and checked my voice-mail. Eric was back in our suite and wanted me to join him. I thanked Dani for spending the evening with me, even though I'm sure she'd been paid, and headed up to meet Eric.

            I don't know what I expected to find when I got to the room, but I was not prepared for what I found. Eric was bloodied and bruised and sitting on the couch sipping a True Blood. I rushed over to him, trying to feel his emotions through the bond.

            "Eric, what in the world?"

            He gave me a half smile with a fattened bloody lip, "It's okay, Lover, I'll be healed in an hour or so."

            I was running my hands lightly over his face. His nose looked broken and I think he had lost a tooth.

            "I didn't feel anything! What did you do?" Somehow he knew I was referring to the bond and not to pissing someone off enough to attack him.

            "I tried to close down the bond so you wouldn't feel it-"

            "I didn't. Wait - I had a headache," I interrupted.

            "So do I," he chuckled. "I did not want you to worry or try to rescue me." He winked, though I don't know how he did it with his swollen face.

            "What happened?"

            He sighed. "The king wanted to be sure I wasn't in on Victor's plans before he offered me the job."

            My eyes were wide with alarm. "Eric, I don't think you want this job." He shook his head at me with a small laugh, "Oh, yeah. No choice."

            He pulled me up to sit on his lap and wrapped his arms around me. "It's alright, Sookie. I expected some kind of test."

            "Well, you could have warned me," I snorted.

            "I told Felipe you would be unhappy with him."

            "Unhappy is an understatement," I growled. I snuggled into his arms and leaned my head on his chest. "Ok, lay it on me. What did he tell you?"

            "Well, I will be able to keep my status as Sheriff of Area 5 and take on the additional duties of being his second in command. My first job will be to go to New Orleans and investigate things to find out who else was in on Victor's plan. I will have to…take care of those that were involved, and then find a new Sheriff for that area."

            "What about us? Will he interfere in our relationship?"

            He huffed a little. "He'll interfere with our lives that is for certain, but our relationship, no. I reminded him we were bonded and you would be traveling with me. He didn't seem to mind, but he suggested that you should no longer work for a shifter. I informed him you had already quit. He was quite pleased."

            "I'll bet he was. Jerk. So what now?"

            "Now we relax, and then we fly home mid morning. The king has arranged transport for us."

            "You didn't bring a coffin. We flew here at night."

            "He's loaning me one, Lover. I will be fine. I will be transported to the airport, and you will just need to wait for me there. It should be dark by the time we get home because of the time change."

            "Okay, so let's relax. What do you want to do?"

            "Lover, I am…uncomfortable. I would take some of your blood to speed my healing."

            "Oh my gosh, Eric! Of course! I wasn't thinking," I said as I held my wrist to his mouth.

            He groaned as he bit and his eyes closed as he drank. I felt him hardening against my thigh and heard his thoughts in his mind. He was thinking he was so grateful to have an eternity to spend with me and he was amazed at how I just accepted all of the changes we were facing. It was so sweet; it did the same things to me that his dirty mind would have done.

            He finished drinking and went to lick my wounds closed but I shook my head. He looked confused as I undressed quickly. I lay back on the couch as his eyes began to darken and he sighed my name. Then I squeezed my wrist and let drops of my own blood fall on my breasts and my stomach, leading a path to the blond curls between my legs, then held my arm out to him. He sealed the wounds quickly and kissed me hard. Then he was licking me everywhere, cleaning the blood from my body and rubbing his face on my skin. He was frantic and whispering in a language I did not understand. It was heaven and torture all at once. By the time he reached my center, I was writhing beneath him.

            He buried his face in my heat and inhaled my scent. When he looked up at me, his eyes were glazed and his thoughts were dirty and scattered. He grabbed the lukewarm True Blood off the coffee table and paused briefly before he poured it between my legs. The sensation was strange at first, but as he began licking and sucking, it was heavenly. He had spread my legs and his face and nose were pushing against me as he cleaned the blood and pleasured me at the same time. He slid his fingers though my wetness and mixed it with the True Blood before he plunged them into me.

            It seemed to always work out this way, I set out to seduce my Viking and he was the one giving all of the pleasure. I was moaning and moving my hips and had thrown my legs over his shoulders to give him better access to me. He was whispering again and thinking in that same language so I couldn't understand what he meant. He kept pushing his fingers into me at a furious pace and then moved his head and bit me, just above my bikini line. I screamed and nearly bucked off the couch as my muscles clenched around his hand. He never paused as he moved his mouth back to my clit and kept pushing me to a second orgasm.

            As I was catching my breath, he pulled away to get undressed. He used his shirt to wipe up some of the True Blood and then opened his belt and began to take his pants down. He was commando, and the sight of him flipped a switch in me, and I felt wild. I sat up and knocked him off balance and threw him back on the couch. His pants were around his knees, and I was straddling his hips and rubbing my wetness along his length. He started speaking again in that foreign language as he grabbed my breasts and pinched my nipples. I leaned over him and whispered in his ear, "You need to speak or think English, but I think you're telling me to fuck you, hard."

            He groaned and I continued to rub myself on him. I took him in my hand and held him so his tip just brushed my opening. We both moaned a little and Eric was trying to grab at my hips and pull me down. I held myself up and moved one hand to my breast while I took the other hand and began sucking on his fingers and running my tongue over them. When I was sure his eyes were on mine, I impaled myself on him fully. I cried out, and heard Eric shout. He pulled his hand from my mouth and grabbed my hips. He was pounding me down onto him and pushing his hips up to get himself even farther inside. I held my breasts to stop them from flying everywhere.

            Eric's fangs were out and I heard him say, "Ride me, Sookie. That's it." My head was back and my hair was brushing my back, and suddenly my body was shaking and I felt my muscles grabbing on to his cock as I came with a rush. He continued pounding me, and then I felt him sit forward and latch onto my breast. When he started to drink, I cried out. Then he pushed on my swollen clit with his finger, and I began pulsing all over again. It was some of the hottest sex we had ever had. I didn't know what was in the air in Las Vegas, but I thought about bottling it and taking some home.

            When I could breathe again, I was savoring the feel of him still inside of me. I didn't want to move. Eric had come back to his senses as well, and I heard his mind, We won't fit in the coffin to fly home this way, Lover.

            I pushed him down on the couch and stretched out on top of him, careful to keep him inside of me. How about this?

            He was chuckling a little in his head. It would work fine Lover, except you get claustrophobic and there is a lack of oxygen in the cargo hold.

            Details. I sighed as he rolled us over on the couch and began to slowly thrust inside of me.


	13. The Wild West

            Our first week back in Shreveport flew by. I moved some of my things into "our" place during the day, and Eric spent two nights in New Orleans with Bill doing some investigating. I expected him back later that night, until he called to say he was at Fangtasia dealing with a bartender problem.

            I was staring at the slinky black negligee I had planned to wear as he explained that Pam would surely make him stay and deal with some other issues that had cropped up in his absence, so he most likely wouldn't be home until the bar closed.

            I had been feeling miserable all day. My chest was tight and there was a knot in my stomach. At first I thought I was coming down with something, but later I realized it was simply because Eric and I had been apart for too long. I wasn't really thinking about what I was doing when I shoved the black lace back in the drawer and pulled on my jeans, cowboy boots and a Fangtasia t-shirt. Pam had gifted me with the entire line of "Bar with a Bite" gear. I grabbed my cowboy hat and keys before I realized I was headed to the bar to help out and be close to Eric.

            I walked in the back door of Fangtasia and saw that Eric's office door was closed. I took a deep breath, since I had pulled into the parking lot the tightness in my chest had released, and I was feeling, well, alive. I grabbed an apron off the rack in the break room and made my way into the bar. Pam was nowhere to be seen, and Felicia was buried in customers behind the bar, all by herself. Now Merlotte's is a bar that can operate with only one bartender, but not Fangtasia.

            I scooted in behind Felicia to go to the enclosed far end of the bar. I figured it would be the safest place, just in case I was really enticing to the vampires, with my new and improved fae scent. It was really busy and loud, so I hollered to her that I would catch up the wait staff and then give her a hand with the bar customers.

            She grinned like mad, showing a little fang and hollered back, "Sookie, I love you!"

            I was sweating like crazy and working like mad behind the bar. The wait staff was caught up, and I stayed at the far end of the bar and their station to make sure it stayed that way. Thank the stars that Eric had invested in a hot water bath to keep the blood warm on busy nights. It made serving the stuff so much easier. You just wiped it off, shook, and twisted off the cap. The new drink special on the other hand, was killing me. It was an intricate "Bite Me" Martini with a splash of TrueBlood in it for the daring, grenadine for the tourists.

            I was serving up some beers to tourists from Kansas when I felt a crazy bolt of lust come through the bond. I glanced over and saw Pam and Eric coming out of his office and making their way into the bar. Igor was forcefully escorting the, apparently former, bartender out the front door. Eric was shaking his head at me as he stalked towards the bar. I could feel through the bond that he was both totally aroused and completely pissed at me. He had repeatedly told me I didn't need to work, and I should not feel that I owed him anything.

            "What are you doing?" he boomed when he reached me. The tourists were terrified and grabbed their beers and got as far from the bar as they could.

            "I'm tending bar," I said sweetly. He just growled and his thoughts swirled. This could be fun. "The boss here," I looked at him and licked my lips. "He works me _hard_."

            Eric leaned close to me and said, so only I could hear him, "And I bet he punishes you when you misbehave, doesn't he?"

            I looked him straight in the eye. "He's been know to whip me into shape." Oh god, what was coming over me?

            The lust in the bond flared between us. I was getting wet and feeling flush. His fangs ran out. "My office. Now." He walked away without looking back.

            Felicia was watching us and trying not to laugh. I raised my eyebrows at her and headed off to follow my Viking. She lost it and cracked up.

            "Thanks for the help, girl!" she laughed as I squeezed behind her to get out of the bar area.

            Eric's door was open but I didn't see him. I moved into the room, and he stepped out from behind the door to close it behind me and slam me up against it, knocking my cowboy hat to the floor. Instantly, he was grinding against me and kissing me something fierce. I knew my lips would be bruised, but I also knew his blood would help heal me. I threw my legs around his waist and held on for dear life, wishing there were spurs on my cowboy boots. When I couldn't breathe anymore I pulled back, and Eric didn't pause at all as he swung us around and moved to the leather couch.

            He slowed down long enough to tear off my shirt and pull my pants down, yanking my boots off and tossing them aside. He sat me on the couch and pulled me forward so my legs fell over his shoulders. He opened my folds and saw me glistening and I heard him moan.

            And then it was like a feeding frenzy. He was licking and stroking and nipping. His eyes were glassy when I could see them and his thoughts were crazed, the only thing I could make out was the occasional, _Mine_ , and _Fuck her hard_. I really hoped my grandfather was right and Eric would not go crazy from my fae blood. He was shoving his tongue into me and trying to hit the spot that would push me over the edge. I was trying to hold myself as close to his mouth as I could but it just didn't seem like I could get close enough. Then he pushed two fingers into me as he bit my femoral artery, and I boiled over. I was quaking and pulsing and feeling like I might not have the coordination to breathe.

            Before I recovered, Eric was standing and pushing his pants down to reveal his erection. He pulled me up on the couch on all fours and turned me how he wanted me, because I wasn't really moving on my own at this point. He put one knee on the arm of the couch and kept the other foot on the floor for leverage. He ran the tip of his cock over my wet opening, and I began to shudder all over again.

            The next thing I knew, he was pushing into me and whipping my back and buttocks with the lanyard that his flash-drive was on. Give the man points for ingenuity. He was gripping my hips with one hand and pulling me hard against him as he drove his own hips into me. I couldn't believe how far he filled me from this position, and I loved the feel of his thighs against mine and his balls slapping me from behind. I pushed back with what strength I had, mumbling, "Oh yeah, oh yeah, Eric, ohmygod, don't stop, ohgodyes." He gave me a hard thrust and a good swipe with his makeshift whip and I felt myself going over the edge again. As my body tightened on him, I felt him starting to lose himself as well.

            He was resting against my back, and I was running out of strength to hold us up when he pulled out and moved us so I was sitting on his lap. He rubbed my back and held me while I came back to reality.

            When I finally looked at him with clear eyes, he smiled, "Lover, what were you doing working behind my bar?"

            "I was just helping out."

            "You know you don't have to work. Here or anywhere."

            "I know Eric. I just…I couldn't sit at home, knowing you were this close. I had to come here to be near you, so I figured I might as well help out since you were down a bartender."

            He sighed and kissed my forehead. "Lover, it has been a very long time since someone has aided me out of pure kindness."

            I snuggled closer. "I guess you should get used to it."

            He sighed and spoke quietly after a second, "I was glad to feel you were here."

            "It's calming, isn't it? So weird," I said, half talking to myself.

            "It's something," he muttered, and I smiled. He was still struggling with his own emotions surrounding our connection and the bond. He tried to be so strong all the time and it was moments like these that reminded me, vampire or not, he was still just a man.

            He kissed the top of my head and we rested like that for a minute, sitting tangled together, until I began to think we should get dressed. Pam always barged in at the least opportune moments. Eric knew what I was thinking and helped me up to find our clothes. While we were dressing, I asked what he had found in New Orleans.

            "It is interesting, Lover. After Katrina, the city is a hodgepodge of humans and vampires. Many of the older vampires have left the city for good. Those that stayed are loyal to Sophie and only tolerated Victor and Felipe." He was leaning against his desk, and I was sitting in his office chair to put my boots on. "The younger vampires, they are a tribe apart. They do not seem to understand the basic hierarchy of our kind. It is almost as if New Orleans has become the Wild West."

            "So were some of the younger vamps involved with Victor?"

            "It seems so, Lover; they are so cocky, and now that Victor is gone, they are not trying to hide it."

            "What will happen next?"

            He shook his head. "I will work with some of Victor's investigators and a team of my own vamps and take care of them."

            "You'll kill them, you mean?"

            "I should, Lover, but no, killing them makes me no better than Victor. I will prepare them for a hearing, and they will be judged by our court and their king."

            "Oh. How do you prepare them for a hearing?"

            "They will be…imprisoned… until it is time for the hearing."

            "Imprisoned? What does that mean? Is there some kind of vamp jail?"

            He nodded and smiled a little at me. "The trial will be in New Orleans in a few months. We will get a room at the new vamp hotel in the French Quarter for a few days. I cannot wait to enjoy the city with you.

            I grinned back. "You just want to see me drunk and flashing my boobs on Bourbon Street." I saw him picturing it in his head, and then he pictured us having sex right out in the open, like you saw during Mardi Gras. "Eric," I said firmly to get his mind back on reality. " _That_ will not happen." Although with the crazy sex we'd been having of late, I could see where he'd think it was a possibility.

            He barked a laugh, and Pam came through the door without knocking.

            "Master, I need to discuss some accounting and scheduling issues with you when you are ready."

            He motioned her to take a seat and leaned down to kiss my forehead. "I will probably be in here the rest of the evening," he said checking his watch. "Will you help Felicia for a while or return home?"

            "I'll help out a while. I'll let you know if I am going to head out," I said as I walked to the door.

            Pam inhaled deeply as I passed her. I froze for a second waiting for her to say something. I had been okay behind the bar, but if she was sensing the fae in me, I could be in trouble.

            She sighed. "You smell…" My breath caught and she finished, "Satisfied." Her eyes were a little glassy, and her fangs were out. Eric growled at her and she grinned. "What? I love the smell of sex, and the two of you have clearly just had some."

            I shook my head as I shut the door behind me and went back to the bar. The crowd was still pretty big, and one of the waitresses was filling her own drink order when I slid back into my spot. I took over for her and once again caught up the wait staff while cursing the "Bite Me" Martini campaign that had partially been my idea.

            When things were back on track, I realized that the Fangbangers and other regulars were flocking to Felicia's end of the bar while I was dealing with nervous tourists and nosey vampires. I could hear the tourists wondering what a nice girl like me was doing working in a vampire bar, and I had to bite back my laughter. I wanted to tell them I was living with the owner, but that would be too much for some of them.

            Things finally started to slow down, and I felt someone's eyes on me. A lovely vampire, dressed in latex that would make Pam extremely jealous, was off to the side of the bar area watching me work. I tried to ignore her, but she was starting to creep me out.

            Felicia seemed to realize what was going on, and she came over to me and pretended to wash a glass. "That's Ellsey. She's cool."

            "Why's she staring at…" I started, but stopped when realized that Ellsey was heading towards me.

            She stood in front of me at the bar and smirked a little. "You are perceptive for a human." I nodded and waited for her to continue. "Sookie Stackhouse, I am Ellsey Graham. Eric suggested you might be interested in working for me."


	14. Leather, Latex and Lingerie

            I'm sure I was at my most human when I cocked my head a little and blinked a couple of times. "I'm sorry, what?"

            She laughed. "Eric said you might be interested in working for me. Well really, what he said is _if_ you chose to get a job here in Shreveport you would need to work for one of us, and I was hoping you might be interested in working at my store."

            I relaxed a little. "I'm not entirely sure I'll be able to work a lot of hours. And I may need to go out of town with Eric on occasion. I'm not sure I'd be a great employee in that regard."

            "Ah, but you would. I won't even make you wear the uniform."

            I put my hand forward and shook my head a little, "Wait, wait. I don't even know what your store is yet."

            "It's in the next block, walk over with me."

            I glanced over her shoulder and saw Eric talking to Igor near one of the Emergency Exits and he gave me a slight nod. _It is fine, Lover_ , _and Pam will want your discount if you choose to work for Ellsey._

            That really didn't make me feel better, but I untied my apron and stashed it behind the bar and followed her toward the door. I sighed. I was sort of limited on options so figured I should at least see what she had to offer. "Sure. Why not?"

            We walked a block and stood in front of a small storefront that appeared to be a lingerie store. Before I could start telling her how I would not be wearing a bra and panties and nothing else for work, she started talking.

            "This is my store, Ellle's. There are three L's in the name to stand for Leather, Latex and Lingerie. This is my second store, as the first was destroyed in Katrina. I couldn't face rebuilding there after the storm. I didn't know what I was going to do, but when I got to Shreveport I realized I might really have a chance here. Back in New Orleans stores like mine were a dime a dozen. There aren't any other stores around here that serve the goth or fangbanger crowd, not that they are the only ones that shop here, but you know…"

            She opened the door and headed in. I couldn't believe it was open after midnight, but it was vamp run. I looked around and saw the store was much bigger than it looked on the outside, most of the racks held black clothing, and it was truly separated into three sections to sell the three L's. I saw a vamp woman behind the counter wearing a black silk robe, the uniform. Yeah, so not wearing that to work. Ellsey straightened some of the latex on a mannequin, and I sat down in a chair near the dressing room and asked her how she had gotten out of New Orleans.

            She shook her head. "I have lived a long time and it was the worst thing I have ever experienced." She kept straightening and pulling on the latex. "You know the city is basically under the water level anyway, right? I had a safe place I shared with two other vamps in a cemetery. We had a watertight crypt we used to hole up during bad weather, otherwise we all had hiding places in our homes. I've been through hurricanes before. I'm not one of those people who laughs in the face of Mother Nature. I take heed and buckle down. So I called Henri and Lorelei and we went to our crypt to wait. It was really getting old, I mean, hiding from hurricanes seriously disrupts your life on the Gulf Coast and being a vampire, it means you have to be vigilant watching the weather channel so you can be hidden during the day before the weather hits. We stayed in there several times before, and the weather had totally missed us."

            She sat in the chair next to me and continued her story. I had heard survivor stories before, and they never ceased to amaze me. "That day, we waited it out, well, we slept through the daylight. Then Henri poked his head out a hatch in the top of the crypt. When he came back down he could hardly describe it. When I finally understood him, he was saying there were people in boats paddling though the cemetery. We weren't prepared for that. He went back out and found two coffin lids that had been dislodged and brought them back to us. We knew we couldn't use our vampire powers to get out of there. The humans were so terrified; we were afraid we'd be staked. So we paddled along side them until we got to a place where we were alone. The city, it was just gone. The humans were acting crazy, and there was no help. We knew that many of our friends had met their final deaths; the flood had brought them into the sun, and there was nothing they could do."

            She looked at me with a sad smile and shrugged. "We saved our selves at that point. We got on each side of Lorelei, and she flew us out of there. We stole a car when we got to dry ground and cried for the devastation and loss and thanked god that we each had foreign bank accounts. We came to Fangtasia that night to find shelter. There were about twenty dislocated vampires that found their way there, and Eric opened up the basement of the bar to let us all sleep the following day. And here I am…still in Shreveport."

            I shook my head at her with tears in my eyes.

            "I still cannot believe how awful it was." She stood up and went over to a rack of leather bustiers and pants and changed the subject. "You've been through some awful things in your life, too. Pam used to order clothes from my store in New Orleans. We have been friends for a while, and I've heard a lot about you. Have you been staked just the one time? Or have I missed anything?"

            I laughed. "No, I think you must have heard the whole story. Eric thinks I'm a magnet for trouble. I prefer to think it's him."

            She smiled. "He didn't tell me why you couldn't work for humans anymore. I'm assuming it is because living with him you will know too much about our kind. I do not need to know more. From all I've heard about you, you won't sit at home and do nothing, and I understand why he wouldn't want you working in his bar, that just wouldn't do. I know you have experience working in restaurants. So you can handle customer service and a cash register." I nodded. "What I need here is a human that can help with the softer side of our clientele. Those that are coming in for the first time to buy a sexy outfit to wear for their partner or someone that wants to try on leather pants for the first time." She smiled at me, "Have you ever?"

            "Tried on leather pants? No." I laughed a little. "I've never been able to afford them."

            She kept smiling. "See, that's the thing. People don't realize they're not that outrageously priced." She eyed me up and down and handed me a pair of black leather pants that laced up the crotch and opened a dressing room door for me. "These only cost $300. It sounds like a lot, but you could save it up in a short time."

            As I was admiring myself in the privacy of the dressing room she continued, "Aside from my manager, my daytime help tends to be college-age goth girls who want a discount. They don't sell a lot to the soccer moms who come in and are terrified of them. I was hoping you could do some sales during the day and maybe help some of my employees not be so, well, frightening." She paused for a second and asked, "Do they fit?"

            "They fit perfectly." I was thinking how it would be a waste of money however, because Eric would rip them off me in a second and they would be destroyed. But they did look good...I bit my lip and turned from side to side, debating.

            Ellsey interrupted my thinking, "Come show me!"

            I stepped out and she grinned.

            "I thought you could work those pants! The cowboy boots have to go though."

            She walked over to a rack of shoes. There were crazy stripper heels and a few boots Jason would call shit kickers. I didn't think I could walk in the heels and was glad when she grabbed me a pair of boots.

            I checked my reflection in the full length mirror and then sat back down. The leather really felt fabulous against my skin. "Ellsey," I started, "I understand what you're asking, but I'm not really sure this is my type of store."

            "I can understand that. But your options for work will be limited. I don't see you working at the dry cleaners or the blood bank." She grinned. "It's a standing offer, Sookie. You can think on it and enjoy not working for a while, but whenever you want to pick up a shift, let me know, and I'll have my manager show you the ropes.

            "So what do you think? Should we put those pants and boots on a tab for Eric and head back to the bar?"

            I was a little offended for a second, that she would think I couldn't afford the pants, or that I expected Eric to be paying for them.

            She seemed to sense my unease and said, "He told me to pick out a present for you."

            "Oh," I laughed. That sounded like him. "Yeah that sounds good. Let's have him buy me some lingerie, too." She laughed, and we picked out two really sexy outfits. I didn't particularly like Eric spending money on me, but it just felt so good to be doing something normal, like I was spending time with a girlfriend, so I just went with it.

            We were still laughing when we walked back into the bar with my bag. Eric was sitting in his throne and the fangbangers were dancing around him and trying to catch his eye. He saw me in the lace up pants and moved his tented hands to cover his immediate erection. _Lover, you are sight to behold_.

            I blushed as I took my bag to his office and wondered if he would follow me. When he didn't, I headed back to the hallway to see what was going on. Chan had come in, and he and Eric were moving to sit in his booth. Chan managed the blood bank, so I figured they had business to discuss. I got Eric's attention and jangled my keys at him to let him know I was going home.

            I considered wearing my new lingerie, or the black lace thing I'd shoved in the drawer earlier, but I decided on going bare. I lit the candles around the bathtub and started filling the tub. I knew Eric would head home as soon as he could, so I wasn't really worried about the water getting cold. Even if he couldn't get Chan out of his office before closing time he should be home within the half hour. Not to mention that the hot water heater in this place was enormous. We could refill the tub if it got cold. I turned on some music and climbed in.

            I was pretty relaxed when I heard the garage door go up. I had sensed Eric coming down the driveway and wondering where I was, but I was so blissed out that I just smiled. As he came through the house, I knew he thought I was in bed, and he may have thought I was asleep. I sensed a little confusion and then his lust when he stood in the bathroom doorway.

            I opened my eyes and said, "Hi."

            He started getting undressed and asked if I hadn't trusted him enough to leave the pants on.

            I just laughed. "No. I got undressed to put on some lingerie for you and this is as far as I got."

            "I appreciate your efforts," he said as he slid into the tub behind me. We sat just holding each other and enjoying being near for a few minutes. "Lover, it is nice to relax with you. I have had a tense couple of days."

            I was not naïve enough to believe that the peaceful Eric I saw on a regular basis was the image he presented in public. I knew he still had to be ruthless and competitive in the vampire world to keep his jobs and his life. I saw images of him beating a vampire in his mind and of him grabbing someone else by the throat. I hesitated and then asked if he wanted to talk about it.

            "No, Sookie, I don't want to drag you into the details. It is enough that I must endure what has happened in New Orleans." He absently rubbed my nipples with his thumbs and rested his forehead on my shoulder. "You are helping me, more than I can explain, by just being here. I have not had anyone to share things like this with for centuries. I truly did not realize I needed it."

            I turned around to face him in the tub and saw how tired his eyes looked. I kissed him lightly and gave him a gentle stroke, which was all he needed to be more than ready. He sighed a little and ran his hands down my back.

            I kissed his neck and whispered in his ear, "You just relax. I'll do the work."

            He groaned and I moved myself to rub against his length. He leaned forward to suckle my breast as I slowly lowered myself to take all of his length. I set a slow pace that was making me burn inside. He was pressing my breasts together so he could cover both nipples with one swipe of the tongue. I was concentrating on keeping things slow because it was building an unbelievable feeling in my center. He dropped one hand to rub my clit, biting into my breast to drink, and I threw my head back and came with a scream. While I was quaking and clenching around him, he lifted me almost to his tip and brought me back down on him hard. My orgasm just continued to roll and he pulled me down against him twice more before he found his release. There was water all over the bathroom but I was too out of it to try to clean it up or really even care.

            After a few minutes he pulled the plug on the tub and moved us to the shower. He was hard and ready again and he kept bumping it against me as he moved to turn the water on and adjust the shower head. I had thought I was ready to just shower until I kept getting nudged by his cock, like it was reaching out for me. I turned to face him and ran my hands up his chest and down his powerful arms. I was eye level with his nipples, and I had to have one in my mouth. I leaned in and began licking and sucking and rubbing my thumb over the other one. I was holding him tight to me with one hand on his ass and rubbing myself against his thigh. He growled and took control, turning me around and pushing me against the cold tile. In one smooth move he parted me and pushed all of the way in.

            I barely caught my breath when he began pumping into me at what could only be called vampire pace. I was glad I was pushed against the wall or my boobs would have given me black eyes the way he was banging into me. It didn't take long, and I came again, feeling my muscles try to hold him in as he moved in and out. He didn't slow down at all and just kept moving, saying my name and whispering. I heard him start to growl, and I grabbed his wrist and pulled to bring it to my mouth. I bit as hard as I could and began to suck. The feeling of his blood going down my throat and the rich taste that couldn't compare to anything pushed me to another orgasm. As soon as I bit him, he threw his head back and yelled as he shot his release high into me.

            Eric showered me off and washed my hair, then wrapped me in a towel and sent me to the bed while he took his own quick shower. When he finished he came to the bedroom and pulled me up to sit with him while he brushed my hair. "Lover, what did you think about Ellsey and her store?"

            "I really liked Ellsey. I don't know how to describe it, but she's very, human, for a vampire."

            He laughed, "Yes. That's a good way to describe her. I think she was a gypsy when she was alive. She fights only when necessary and usually is very laid back, although superstitious."

            "I'm not sure about working there. It's not really me. I mean, I wouldn't wear half of what she sells in there."

            "You do not have to wear it, just sell it. And besides which, you do not have to work there. It was just an idea. Although there are not a lot of options…"

            "I know… the dry cleaners and the blood bank."

            "There are a couple of other options, but yes, hers is probably the best fit for you. You could take classes, or you could do nothing, Sookie. It's your choice."

            "I'll think about it Eric," I sighed. "What else do you need to tell me about New Orleans? When will we need to go back?"

            "Lover, I do not think I want you to come to New Orleans until it is time for the hearing. It has become quite lawless in the supernatural world there, and I need to get a new sheriff lined up as soon as possible. Things will be better in a few months, but for now I do not want you to come with me."

            I thought about it and agreed. "Okay, when will you go back?"

            "Bill and Chan and I will go the day after tomorrow, but only for a couple of days. I need to finish up some paperwork at the bar and I'd like to see if Trey and Simon are capable. I'd like to promote one of them to sheriff, so I have Bill doing some research for me."

            He finished brushing my hair and took the brush to his own. I fell asleep to the sound of the brush going through his hair.


	15. Taking Out the Trash

-EPOV-

            It was just after dark in New Orleans. Chan and I sat at a table in the Cat's Meow sipping lukewarm TrueBloods and waiting for Simon and Trey to arrive. It was an inconspicuous meeting place, as vampires rarely visited the inside of this trashy human bar. They found prey outside in the street; drunk and either flashing their breasts, trying to get someone to flash their breasts, or vomiting in the street. Bill was in the hotel using his computer and I was glad to have a break from listening to his incessant rambling. Chan kept me entertained and reminisced about previous trips to New Orleans in what he called the good old days.

            "Do you remember how many women I had that night? It was like a buffet!"

            I pursed my lips. "You remind me of your sexual prowess quite frequently, and if I didn't know better I would think you were overcompensating. But yes, I remember that night. I remember that all of the women were diseased and disgusting."

            "Pah. Human diseases mean nothing to me."

            "Yes, well…to each his own." I shuddered a little bit, grateful that hygienic standards had gone up greatly over the years.

            "I am thinking about opening my own store again."

            I rolled my eyes. "Chan, are you not saving money and able to send it to your descendants?"

            "Yes, of course."

            "Then please, let us not go through this again." Chan looked a little incredulous. "Every twenty years or so, you have some descendant that needs money or to work their way through college. You reopen your own dry cleaners, and then what? Your damn relative robs you blind. That's what happens."

            "It only happened twice."

            "Yes, and I remember the consequences of the last time quite well." The Asian actually grinned thinking about it, but I continued, my face grim. "You showed up months later, half starved and then disappeared in Canada. The next thing I heard, you were almost staked – by the King of Vancouver."

            "How was I to know he would be that upset?"

            "You got in bed with him and his wife!"

            "She said he could learn from me!"

            We both laughed and then, as if a switch had flipped, I sensed the others approaching and became serious. A second later Trey and Simon entered the bar and joined us. I made the introductions, although I thought perhaps Chan already knew Simon. They had both spent a fair amount of time in the Western US over the years, and since the vamp population out there was so small, it was likely they had run into each other.

            Trey had been around New Orleans for some time and had worked his way up the ladder of vampires. Before Sophie Anne died, he was little more than a gopher. When Victor took over, he was given more responsibilities and had proven an effective investigator. He was the kind of man who would prefer to work for a boss he liked and respected, but he had been vampire long enough to know how to work for whoever won the fight and be glad to not meet the sun.

            Simon had come from the West after Katrina. The vampire numbers had dwindled and they needed some capable investigators to help clean up the riff raff of vamps that began preying on the helpless humans stranded in New Orleans, or the sad people trying to come back and make a home out of the destruction. Simon worked for Victor, but had ambitions of his own. He knew he could make Sheriff someday, he just needed the experience and figured New Orleans would look great on a resume.

            A new waitress stopped by the table and took their drink orders. I began asking the local investigators what they knew and what they thought needed to be done. Simon immediately took charge and told me he was concerned about a group of vampires who had taken over the 9th Ward. He had phone records from King De Castro's staff linking them to Victor and felt they needed to be "dealt" with right out of the gate. Trey agreed and did not add much else to the conversation. I nodded and thought Bill might actually be right; Simon was the one with the head for the Sheriff's job.

            "Who leads this group? Would I know him?"

            Simon shook his head and pursed his lips a little. "No, sir. I don't think you would. The leader is called Booker. He is a young vampire, maybe 200 years old?" He looked at Trey, and he nodded in agreement. "I believe he came from California originally. He was a sailor, but mostly worked merchant ships. It seems he continues to live a hardscrabble hand to mouth existence, but he has become a captain of sorts with a group of followers."

            I couldn't believe what a bastard this Booker was. Actually, I could. Booker reminded me a lot of myself before I had understood survival meant playing the game, at least enough to make it look like you respected the hierarchy. I nodded. "How do you propose we deal with them? I have heard they are boldly discussing their involvement in Victor's plot as though there are no consequences."

            Trey continued to stay quiet and Simon spoke, looking from me to Chan. "We can scare the hell out of them and keep Booker for trial, or we can publicly kill him to show them that there is still law here, and they will have to obey it or face the final death."

            I was really liking the way this one thought. However, I knew that killing the vamp was not an option. They would have to take Booker into custody and wait for the king to deal out his punishment.

            I told them killing the man would not solve their problems and I knew the King would never condone it. Felipe believed it was his duty to exterminate what was left of Victor's followers. They discussed the suites that remained in Victor's compound that could be used to imprison Booker and some other zealots in his crew. I agreed that the best form of imprisonment involved silver to ensure no one escaped. Simon knew what needed to be done and agreed to set up the meeting with Booker.

            He left a message for the self-proclaimed captain, inquiring about letting me meet his crew and helping them establish their place in the city. Booker called back shortly, and although quite cocky, seemed awestruck that the great Northman would come to meet his crew. Was it going to be that easy? To show up at this meeting and take the fool? Simon set up a meeting that evening at an abandoned church in the 9th Ward.

            We drove to the church in Simon's Hummer while Trey drove a van ready for prisoners. I was thinking to myself this would actually be much like Victor's own demise. Booker was just too dumb to keep his mouth shut. Tonight was going to be a piece of cake, like taking out the trash. Sure enough, the meeting began and not a second after introductions were finished, Booker began talking about the plot to overthrow King De Castro.

            "We stand here tonight being recognized by one of the strongest Sheriffs in our state because we know Louisiana can not be ruled by some fool in Las Vegas. We will not be micro-managed from another part of the country. We will find our own way and our own leader."

            It went on and on, with some cheers from a few in the audience, but mostly the vampires in attendance were looking at Booker like he was nuts. I knew the others were taking notice of the vampires who were in support of Booker's thoughts. I knew they would have to be taken as well and felt confident that between Chan, Bill, Trey and Simon they would be grabbed.

            As Booker wound down his chest thumping, I nodded and began to speak, "You are correct, Louisiana should not be lead from afar."

            Booker grinned and took my hand as I reached out to shake his. In a flash, I pulled him towards me so I had an arm around his neck and a stake to his heart. A few people jumped up, but the crowd was stunned.

            "That is why the king made me his second in command, you fool," I growled.

            Bill stepped up with leather gloves on and placed silver handcuffs over Bookers' long sleeves. My men grabbed three or four other vamps that had started towards the pulpit.

            I looked around and spoke to the rest of the crowd, "Do not underestimate me, or the rules of our kind. Simon is the new Sheriff here, and Trey is his second. They will not tolerate your insubordination. _Do not_ make me come back to New Orleans to deal with your group again. You will not be punished for believing a zealot, but do not think your involvement in this little group will be forgotten. The king will be here to hold a trial to determine what to do with these traitors. I hope you will all witness the outcome and know that you could very well be on trial as well."

            A few people in the crowd actually clapped, and on my way to the car a couple tried to shake my hand. Simon was walking out at my side with a blank look on his face, and Trey seemed a little pissed.

            When we got in the car, I spoke before anyone else could have the chance. "Simon, I believe you are ready for this job. I will support you in whatever you need." I looked at Trey in the backseat with Bill and Chan. "Trey, Simon will need your help. He will not be able to straighten up this town without you."

            I sat back and checked my watch. "Now, get me back to my car so I can drive home. I do not wish to wake up in a strange place tomorrow evening. I will see you for the trial, if not sooner."


	16. Michealangelo's David

            I awoke to the feel of Eric's arms sliding around me. "Mmmmm," I murmured. "You're home." He loved it that I was already calling his place home. I could feel his joy as I said it. I turned in his arms and met his mouth for a burning kiss.

            "How was your trip?" I asked when I caught my breath.

            "It was fine." He stretched out behind me on the bed and held me. "Chan wants to buy out Cardona to own his own cleaners again. Bill is annoying. I appointed a new Sheriff and imprisoned a few zealots."

            "Um, Okay. That was the short version, wasn't it?"

            He laughed into my ear. "Yes. It all went well and we were able to confine the leader of the group that followed Victor, along with several of his supporters."

            "Why did he get behind Victor? What was wrong with having Felipe as king?"

            "Well," he sighed. "They didn't believe they should be ruled from across the country. I'm sure Victor convinced him that if Louisiana was ruled by Florida there would be a place for them in local leadership."

            "Where are they now?"

            "Confined in chambers inside Victor's compound."

            He did not elaborate on the fact they were chained by silver and allowed only a few feet of movement within the cells. He also didn't mention they would not be allowed to feed until the trial, those things I found out from Pam later.

            "Lover, let us speak of more pleasant things. What did you do while I was gone?"

            I smiled a little as he kissed the back of my neck. "Hmm…I beat Barry at Cooking Mama on Wii a lot. I think it's all of the years I spent prepping food at the bar. Barry just couldn't get the hang of it. Let's see… I called Ellsey just to talk, but I just got her voice-mail, so I drove down to see Amelia and get a few more things from the house. I grabbed a couple of my favorite things from the kitchen, you know, stuff that was Gran's that I would use here." He rubbed my arm, knowing it was still hard to think about my Gran being gone. "I didn't go to Merlotte's or anything. I knew you would be worried. I made sure to check in with Barry, when I left, when I got there, all of that."

            He gave me a squeeze. "Lover, you should still visit your friends. All of the things Niall said, I think we have time before it becomes a problem. But I am glad you are being safe."

            I rolled over and faced him. "I know, Eric. I have lifetimes to spend with you. I just don't want anything to cut it short." I took his face in my hands and kissed him sweetly. His eyes were getting heavy, and I realized it must be close to dawn. It was easy to lose track of time in his dark safe room. I closed my eyes and gave in to sleep as well, knowing I would be awake in a few hours to face another day while he slept.

            After a day of pampering myself in the tub, super conditioning my hair and giving myself a mani/pedi, I climbed back in bed to wait for Eric to wake-up. His cheek was twitching, and he began to blink a little as I snuggled into his chest.

            "You smell beautiful, Lover. Did you have a good day?"

            "Yeah, I just pampered myself," I said, wiggling my toes and fingers at him. He grinned and took two of my fingers into his mouth. I just laughed and pulled them out. "What's the plan tonight, Viking?"

            He rolled to his back. "I must go to Fangtasia tonight, Lover. I have to sit in throne for the followers to worship." He was looking at the ceiling, and then he turned to me. "Will you join me?"

            I rolled over and sat up on my elbows. "I will go anywhere with you, Eric." He smiled and tucked some hair behind my ears. I knew if I didn't go in another room I'd be in the shower with him. So I sighed. "You get ready and I'll grab some dinner."

            As I stood and went to the kitchen he was thinking I was a coward and laughing at me. I thought back, _Yeah, I live with a 1,000 year old vampire; I'm such a coward_.

            We walked into Fangtasia around 9 p.m. and, after checking his messages, Eric went out to sit on his throne in the bar. I went to talk to Pam and Felicia and had a gin and tonic. The girls were telling me about a new hunky bartender that started while Eric was in New Orleans. Felicia seemed to think Eric would be jealous of David. Yes, David like the statue, Pam rolled her eyes at me when I asked with a giggle. She thought Eric would appreciate that the attractive bartender was good for business.

            He was a vampire, and although she'd done his background checks, no one really knew much about his past. He had tended bar in several major cities and always left with great recommendations. I was intrigued, but when he walked in I did a double take. Even by my standards, which compare everyone to a Viking, this guy was hot. He wouldn't even have to glamour people, I bet they'd just let him feed. Eric chose that moment to listen to my brain and started to growl.

            I walked over and sat on his lap to reassure him, and whispered in his ear, "Viking, there would be something wrong with me if I didn't appreciate the looks of that vamp." I gave his earlobe a little suck. "But all I did was look, no other man will ever touch me." I grabbed his face and looked into his eyes. "I am yours."

            He growled again and began kissing me hard. I could feel his erection against my leg and had to chuckle, nothing was going to happen here on the dance floor and the bar had begun to get full. As he devoured my mouth, I heard the fangbangers thoughts whining and cursing me in my head.

            He eventually pulled back and grinned at me. "Well played, Lover."

            I smiled and teased him, "Do I have your permission to help behind the bar?"

            He rolled his eyes and snorted a little, I'm not sure if it was at my request or because of it.

            "This is only his second shift, and you're about to get slammed." I couldn't just forget about my years working at Merlotte's; when a bar was that busy, I felt the need to pitch in.

            Eric looked at David and then leaned forward to rub his face along both sides of my neck, clearly marking me with his scent. He knew what I was thinking and gave me a nod, asking me to take the section near the waitress station to be safe. I think he knew I was much more comfortable behind the bar than sitting next to his throne, but whatever his reason, I gave him a quick kiss and went to help the bar staff.

            The night was really uneventful, not counting the bras and underwear that were collecting around the bar as women, vampire and human, tossed them at David. We were selling out of thongs in the gift shop and nothing Felicia or I could do would keep David kept up on the line for drinks at his station. Some women simply didn't want us to get them a drink. As things began to slow down, Ellsey came in and waved hello. I knew the vamps could handle the bar without me, so I grabbed a gin and tonic and slid out to get a table with her.

            She commented on David's beauty and actually turned her chair so he wouldn't distract her. We made small talk for a bit, and she asked about Eric's trip to New Orleans. I was kind of glad she asked, because I had questions I wasn't sure Eric would answer. I explained about Booker's imprisonment and the new Sheriff. I told her Eric didn't think we needed to go back until the trial. She nodded and said she was glad they would be cleaning up the city. I leaned forward a little bit, I don't know why, she had vamp hearing, but anyway, I asked her about the trial. What did it really mean? Where would it be and would we be safe?

            She smiled. "Safe is relative, Sookie. You have been around vamps long enough to know that no place is completely safe." She drank some AB TrueBlood and looked around like she was about to tell me a secret. "I have not been a part of a trial like this before, but I have heard about them. It will be very serious. Most likely it will be held in a warehouse or parking structure, somewhere that many people will fit into. It will have a huge audience. You've heard about public hangings in American history? It will rival that."

            I shivered a little at the thought and raised my lip in disgust.

            She laughed a little and continued, "Even with the strange location, it will be very formal. There will be witnesses called and evidence presented. What you may not understand is that the accused will really have no chance to defend themselves. They will not have a lawyer or any representation. No one will be called in their defense."

            "I don't understand; why not just execute them if they can't even defend themselves?"

            "It is a demonstration of power. They can't just execute anyone without a reason, so they use the trial to prove they should and then the king exacts his punishment, which is not always death, but in this case, I'm sure it will be."

            "And will it be dangerous for us?"

            "As I said before, every place is dangerous, even here. But the trial will be a spectacle. There will be plenty of vamps from here and Florida, and I'll bet some Texans come over. You run the risk of someone starting a fight in the crowd that gets out of control, or some of Booker's followers starting an uprising." She shook her head. "If you're going, I would stay as close to Eric as possible."

            00oo00oo00

            A short six weeks later, we were headed to New Orleans for the trial. I had been working a couple of days a week at Ellsey's store and helping out around Fangtasia when I could. Eric and I were closer than ever, and I still wasn't sure how much of it was the bond and how much of it was us or the time we were spending together. Eric was making an effort to learn about some of the foods l liked and had even tried to make me coffee a couple of times before he slept. I was still getting used to waking up next to a sleeping vampire every day, but it was so much better than waking up alone.

            The road flew past us and I closed my eyes so I didn't have to watch. Eric drove like a bat out of hell with little concern for anyone on the road. When I opened my eyes I discovered we were in an underground parking garage.

            I shook my head a little and looked at Eric. "I fell asleep?"

            He just smirked. "For several hours, Lover."

            A man dressed in black from head to toe opened my door and helped me out of the car. I swiveled my legs out first just like Pam and Ellsey had taught me, so I didn't flash anyone like Lindsay Lohan, and stepped carefully in my new stiletto heals. Eric had been busy at the bar for the last week preparing for our absence and dealing with the New Orleans vamps to get ready for Felipe's arrival. Pam and Ellsey had acted as my personal wardrobe consultants and had sent me on shopping trips during the day so they could critique my purchases each night. It was like my own personal episode of "What Not to Wear," hosted by a soccer mom/latex queen and a lingerie store owner. Eric had been quite impressed with their make-over on me, and I was a little afraid we wouldn't make it out of the house when I stepped into the living room in these heels.

            We entered the hotel lobby, and I hung back a little while he went to register us at the front desk. As I waited, I took in the goth décor and the array of people waiting in the lobby -supes, vampires, humans and a few people who must have been the same type of being as Dr. Ludwig, although I still wasn't sure what that was. I didn't see anyone I knew, even though Bill, Chan, Ellsey and several other vamps I knew were planning to come over for the events. Suddenly, I realized someone was watching me, I knew it was a vamp because I couldn't hear a thing, but I felt their eyes boring into me.

            Eric was still charming the girl at the front desk when I realized that a tall vamp dressed in a very expensive suit was mesmerized and beginning to walk across the lobby towards me. I was nervous but didn't want to cause a scene, so I tried to pretend I didn't see him coming. When he stood directly in front of me, he cocked his head and took a huge sniff of the air around us, sighing as he exhaled. _Oh shit._

            Eric arrived just as the man reached to take my hand. He quickly stepped in between us and then glanced at the man and laughed. "Seamus. I see you've sniffed out Sookie."

            The man seemed to snap out of it and looked over at Eric. He made a huffing noise and turned to me again for a second and then shook his head at Eric. "I should have known." He purposefully took my hand and kissed the back of it. "You and I will need to speak later." He winked at me and walked away.

            "Ah, what just happened?"

            "That was Seamus, he's….it's a long story. But he is right, you will want to speak to him this weekend."

            "Okay, strange. He smelled me though, so am I sending off a scent to attract all of the vampires? And why aren't you pissed? You're not telling me something."

            "No, I think you smell the same. Seamus is a special case. You and I have been exchanging blood regularly, so hopefully you mostly smell like me." He glanced around. "Come, Lover, let's go to our rooms. They are bringing our bags up."

            "Eric, what aren't you telling me?"

            "I should really let him explain. Just know that I trust him."

            I sighed, and we walked to the elevator. I heard Eric start thinking about the elevator in Vegas. I started to breathe a little quicker and felt myself getting hot and wet. We stepped through the door and both realized there was an elevator operator inside that would be riding with us. _Damn_. Eric chuckled at my reaction. He stood behind me, and I could feel his arousal. I was licking my lips and already imagining the feel of him inside of me.

            We made it into the room before Eric got his pants open. He pushed me against the door, pressing my back against the emergency exit instructions. It would have been funny if I hadn't wanted him so badly. Pressed against the door like that there was not much I could do but let him have his way with me. My skirt was around my waist and my underwear flying across the room in an instant. I heard a rumble in his chest as he leaned forward, kissing my neck and nipping at my collar bone. I whimpered and he spread my legs and speared into me. One hand came up under my shirt and he was assaulting my nipples and breasts as he pounded into me while the other cupped my ass, holding me off the ground.

            "Oh God, Eric. Yes, ohmygod. Oh, yes, oh…"

            His hand moved from my breast to press against my clit and I came in spasms. If I thought he was pounding into me before, my orgasm seemed to send him into another gear. After a minute or so I could feel the heat building again, and he leaned forward to bite my neck and we both came.

            I was still breathing hard when he carried me to the bed. He pulled my skirt off and moved to take his pants the rest of the way off. I got my shirt and bra off and went to remove my shoes when he growled, "Leave them. Get on the bed. Now."

            I did as I was told. I didn't usually like to be ordered around, but he knew I was more inclined to let it slide when sex with him was involved. He stood over me and ran a hand down the length of my side as if contemplating what he was going to do to me. His fangs were still down, and his eyes were glazed over with desire. He grabbed the sheet and tore two long strips from it. Before I knew it, one arm was tied to the bedpost and he was working on the other one. I was a little nervous, but I knew deep down he wouldn't do anything to hurt me. As soon as he was finished with the second knot I was aware of how vulnerable I felt. I was in nothing but black stiletto heels, laid out like a buffet for him. He must have heard that thought, because the next thing I knew he was between my legs, lifting my hips and leaning forward to rub his face across my stomach and down to my very center.

            I could not have imagined the power of the desire I had to put my hands in his hair. With my hands tied I was overcome with thoughts of everything I wanted to use my hands for. I arched my back and spread my legs to give him more access. He paused what he was doing and looked me in the eye.

            Sternly he said, "Do not move." I moaned a little and he continued to look at me, placing a hand on my stomach, "If you move, I am finished. Do you hear me?"

            I almost nodded my head, but caught myself. "Yes," I managed to say, shocked at how turned on I was by his instructions.

            He held my eyes for a moment and then returned his attentions to my wet heat. He moved with vampire speed, using his tongue to lap up my wetness and his fingers to flick across my clit while occasionally plunging his tongue into me, making me gasp. I was mumbling incoherently and tossing my head from side to side. I wished that he had tied my legs as well because I was having a hard time concentrating on not moving them. Eric laughed at that thought and asked if I wanted him to stop.

            "If you stop, I will kill you," I managed to say through my heaving breaths.

            Of course, that backfired on me and made him stop. He pulled himself slowly up my body, rubbing himself against me the whole way. He moved to kiss me and then simply licked across my lips. He began kissing my neck and licking my breasts. His shaft was teasing my thigh and I thought I was going to burst into flames.

            "You can move now, Lover, but I won't be untying you for a while." I arched my back and used my stilettos to brace against the bed, and he laughed as I moved my hips against him, pushing myself closer to the edge. He started to slide into me, meeting my eyes before he thrust completely in. His lips found mine and he kissed me, moving his tongue to the same hard and fast pace of his hips, and it didn't take long before I was ready to come. As I arched my back as far as I could, and Eric slowed himself to an agonizing pace and strung me along. I began moving my hips again, forcing myself up to meet him trying to speed things up again.

            "Lover, do you want me to go faster? What do you want?" he said, enjoying torturing me.

            "Faster yes, oh god, faster please."

            And because he could, he began moving at a pace no human man could even dream of. Within seconds, I was having the most amazing orgasm. I could feel my muscles clenching and drawing him into me. It went on for what seemed like forever, and he was growling and staring into my eyes before he leaned down and bit my breast.

            He was making a roaring sound in my ear, and I felt him coming, shooting straight to my core. I either came again, or the first orgasm caught a second wave, and I screamed. When my mind cleared and I realized what was going on, he had already licked the wounds clean on my breast and was reaching up to untie my wrists.

            I cleared my throat and tried to stretch a little. "You didn't kill me, did you?" He looked at me strangely and I continued, "Because I can't feel most of my body."

            He smiled and untied my other wrist. I managed to put my arms around him, but it was quite clumsy. He began rubbing my arms. "No, Lover, you're not dead, you're not even undead."

            "That's good," I murmured, my eyes beginning to close, as he chuckled and rubbed my back.


	17. Someone Like Me

            The phone was ringing beside the bed, after three rings when Eric didn't answer it, I realized I was alone. I grabbed the phone and managed a groggy hello.

            "Lover, you have two hours to get ready for Felipe's reception."

            "Reception. Two hours."

            "Yes. You will want to call room service because there will not be human food available."

            I was starting to fully wake up. "Reception, two hours, food." I cleared my throat again. "Where are you?"

            He laughed. "I'm in the lobby. I met with Felipe and am getting ready to take him to Victor's old compound to inspect the security around Booker. Can you meet me in the front lobby in two hours?"

            "Yeah. I'll meet you there."

            "Good, Lover, I cannot wait to see what outfit Pam and Ellsey selected for this event. Oh, and Sookie, if you leave the room you must bring you keycard with you, even if you are coming to meet me. The hotel is very strict about allowing guests only in certain areas."

            I was finally awake, so I said, "Right. Reception, two hours, food, key. Anything else?"

            With all seriousness, he said, "Do not wear any underwear."

            I snorted, but figured he was probably on to something; they just got ruined when I wore them anyway.

            When I got to the lobby, I didn't see Eric anywhere, but I saw Ellsey and she immediately pulled me into the ladies room.

            "Sookie, I don't know how you do it…"

            "Do what?"

            "You either look like the girl next door or a hooker. You cannot seem to find the middle ground when it comes to cosmetics."

            I was a little embarrassed, but she was too quick for me to stop and was already wiping off my lipstick and moving for my eyelids. I don't know how she had all of the supplies in her purse that she needed, and I certainly don't know how she fixed everything in two minutes flat, but I did look a lot better.

            She mumbled to herself that we were going to have to have make-up lessons when we got back to Shreveport, and I laughed. She looked me up and down and seemed otherwise satisfied with my appearance. I was wearing a long black satin floor length straight skirt with a corseted top of red satin overlaid with black lace. It was sexy and appropriate, but still Sookie.

            Eric was in the lobby when we came out of the restroom, and he smiled at my outfit. When he saw my bare skin through the corset laces in the back I felt his reaction against my hip. I raised my eyebrow at him and took his arm to head into the large ballroom. Even though this weekend would culminate in a trial, Felipe was taking every opportunity to flaunt his status as king and enjoy some southern hospitality. Eric reminded me not to speak to Felipe unless spoken to, although he expected that at some point the king would come speak to me.

            The crowd seemed very lively and there was a head table set up for Felipe to lord over his minions. It was very odd since he was sitting there by himself and there were no other chairs on the dais with him, just security guards and a velvet rope. Eric mentally shushed me, as if I would have said anything out loud, and directed us to our table.

            The evening was full of speeches. Felipe had invited a representative from every Area in the State and several Sheriffs from bordering Areas attended as well. Oddly, the human Governor of Louisiana had come to welcome the king and reach out an olive branch to the Vamps of the State. I was beginning to yawn when the music began. Eric led me to the dance floor and spun me around to an old fashioned love song. When the song finished I noticed one of Felipe's bodyguards was waiting for us.

            Sure enough, he stepped to Eric's side and said, "The king requests your presence, Northman."

            We went over to Felipe's table and waited, basically in a line, to speak with him. Eventually, he glanced at me and rudely told Eric I was not needed. Sigh. Eric tightened his grip on my arm before I said something and quietly told me he would meet me in the lobby bar.

            "As you wish," I said with a nod of my head, knowing Eric would recognize it as a quote from the _Princess Bride_ and not a sign of my acquiescence.

            Luckily, since the hotel served humans and other supes as well as vampires, I was able to get a gin and tonic in the bar while I waited. Ellsey wandered in and sat next to me, splurging on some imported blood and telling me funny stories about anyone she recognized.

            Suddenly, I felt like I was being watched again, but when I found Seamus in the crowd he was narrowing in on Ellsey, walking towards her, their eyes locked. He was black Irish, with dark hair and eyes on top of a body that would not quit. Whatever was going on with him and Ellsey was an odd, slow-motion kind of situation, but I couldn't turn away from watching.

            As he brought her hand to his lips, I cleared my throat. "Seamus."

            "He gets me every time!" Ellsey laughed and pulled back, slapping at his hand.

            "Sookie, it is not nice to ruin the moment when a man is moving in to seduce a beautiful woman." He reached for Ellsey's hand again and kissed the back of it.

            I looked between them. "What is going on here?"

            Ellsey grinned. "You don't know Seamus? Oh, you two _have_ to talk!" She kept smiling and walked away, leaving me more confused.

            "Why do I have to talk to you, Mr.-?"

            "Flynn, Seamus Flynn. I suppose you and I need to talk, because I used to be you."

            "You used to be a blond waitress? Really?" I snarked. I didn't know what we had in common but I was tired of the hints.

            He barked a laugh. "No child, I used to be an eighth fae and in love with a vampire."

            "What? You're like me? Why didn't anyone tell me?"

            "I said I _used_ to be you. If you haven't noticed, I'm a vampire now."

            "Oh! How did that happen?"

            "Really, Sookie?" he laughed.

            "No. I mean, I got the impression that I don't have to turn. I mean, I…" I'm sure I looked totally confused. I couldn't believe there was someone out there like me! I didn't know how much I could tell him, and I was just struggling to process everything.

            He laughed again and sat down next to me at the bar. "I'm assuming several things about you. One, you are bonded to the Viking, and two, you are probably soul-mates. I'm also going to guess you're part of a Royal family, Brigant probably, based on the fae smell. Am I close?"

            I tried not to confirm anything, but asked why he would make those assumptions about Eric.

            He sniffed a little. "Because nothing less would have pulled that one into a relationship. He has been wandering for centuries, a king without his queen. When I heard he had fallen, I knew it was for eternity. But as I said, it's just a guess. So if I am correct, you will not need to be turned. You're right about that. It doesn't mean your life together will be easy by any means."

            I smiled. "You sound like Eric."

            "That's a compliment, to be sure. See, my case was different. The vampire I loved was not my soul-mate. To ensure eternity together, I asked her to turn me."

            "Oh, I see. Is she here?"

            "I haven't seen her in decades."

            "Oh. That can't be good."

            He cocked his head a little. "I think it's for the best really. No one warned me that vampire couples find it very difficult to stay together. In the long run, we were much happier apart than together. And now as part fae and vampire, I lead the most amazing bachelor's life."

            He signaled the bartender to get me another drink and sighed. "What do you know about your family?"

            "Not enough."

            "You're good," he said with a head shake. "You've picked up a lot from Eric. Anyway, your family is not entirely trustworthy and will have a hard time with your union with the Viking."

            "And this is based on my scent?"

            "No, this is based on the fact that your great-grandfather is a piece of work."

            "So you know who I am?"

            "Yeah, I heard about you, but I didn't connect you with Eric's woman until today. Plus, you smell so much like Claude and Claudine it isn't funny. Anyway, I heard through the grapevine they were going to start training you. If you ever need help, or you have questions about the fae world, give me a shout."

            As he finished speaking, I felt Eric's cool hand on my back. "Seamus, you're not filling her with lies, are you?"

            "Ah... Viking, why would I do such a thing?"

            "Because you already figured out you can not seduce her."

            "Quite true, but her friend Ellsey and I go way back. I think I shall keep her busy this weekend."

            He grinned and stood and took my hand. "It has been a pleasure. I meant what I said, if you need any advice or help in terms of the fae, call me." He kissed the back of my hand and walked off.

            "So, Lover, you met the vampire Don Juan."

            "Yes. He was, interesting. Where've you been? What did Felipe need?"

            "He wanted to finalize plans for tomorrow evening. Trey and Simon have everything in order, but the king felt it needed my stamp of approval as well."

            I finished my drink and smiled. "Are we done tonight?"

            "Yes, Lover, let's go upstairs. We need to talk about the plans for tomorrow evening, and then I need to get you out of those clothes."

            00o00o00o00o00o00

            I got up before Eric, as usual, and made coffee while checking my voice-mails. I had an hour and half, maybe two hours to myself to relax.

            Message one, Sam warning me to be careful. I hadn't heard from him in weeks. I'd have to call him when I got some time, just to catch up and hear the bar gossip.

            Message two, Amelia warning me to be safe. What was that about? She was always worried about something or other though.

            Message three, Alcide telling me to stay close to Eric and be alert. Weird, but he knew I was coming to the trial.

            Message four, Barry. "Call me. Immediately." Oh, no, that's bad, and whatever it was, everyone else already knew about it.

            I hit the B to speed dial him, and he answered on the second ring.

            "What's up, Barry? That was a cryptic message," I said, my voice full of concern.

            "Sookie! Dude. Listen, we've had some problems here overnight. I need you to have Eric call me as soon as he wakes. No fooling around in the shower or on the breakfast bar or anything you crazy kids normally do first thing. I need him to call me."

            I was a little surprised at how accurate he was about where Eric and I liked to fool around, but I didn't want to get into that with Barry. "Is everyone okay? Where's Pam?"

            "Everyone is okay, even the humans, which I can't believe. But I think Pam will probably sleep in a little tonight. The bar'll be closed for repairs." He was sighing, and I could imagine him shaking his head, his shaggy hair flying. "It was nuts, Sook. These vampires came in the bar just before closing and messed the place up. Like dirty freakin' Harry. You should see the surveillance footage. You know how Pam always says, carnage? That's what it was. Man, I got this crazy call from Felicia to wake my sorry ass up and get down there, but like what am I gonna do against the vampire mafia or whatever they were? I called 911, cuz it still scares some of the younger vampires to have the cops show up. Then I called Dr. Ludwig and headed out. Carnage, Sookie. Crazy, bloody, gooey vampire carnage."

            "So were they after anyone in particular? Or just taking advantage of Eric being gone?"

            "That's what's crazy. I think they were after David. You know, the bartender that thinks he's a freakin' Greek god? I mean, they _tore up_ the part of the bar he was working."

            "Is he okay?"

            "Yeah, he had a couple of nasty wounds and holes, but with a good sleep in the ground the Doc said he'd be okay."

            "Barry, I'm not getting it… holes, like bullet holes? Did they have guns?" I asked. Why were they shooting at vampires? Unless they had special bullets it would just do a lot of damage but not kill any of them.

            "Did they have guns? Sookie, what do you think I meant when I said mafia! They had guns, tire irons, baseball bats, silver chains…"

            I interrupted him, he could go on sometimes. "So they weren't trying to kill the vampires? Just mess up the bar and stir everyone up?"

            "I guess. I don't know what they wanted, but I'm freakin' scared. Dude, when I got home I like triple locked the doors and shut Thor in the bedroom with me, and that dog scares the crap out of me. I'll tell you what, that David dude, he can fight, though. I think some of the chicks got hurt because they were distracted watching him."

            "Okay, just hang tight. I'll have Eric call you as soon as he gets up."

            "No hanky panky."

            "Right. I'll have him call you." I chuckled to myself. For some reason I think "hanky panky" is one of the dumbest phrases on the planet. And it always reminds me of Long Duck Dong in _Sixteen Candles_ saying, "No yanky my wanky." I love the 80's, I can't help it. And it was so inappropriate for me to be thinking about that right now. Stupid stress reaction.

            So much for my two hours of relaxing. I could soak in the tub or watch TV, but I wasn't going to relax, and I had a bad feeling I was not going to be allowed to go to the trial later. I decided I had better get dressed, grab my key and phone and get out of the room before my Viking put me on house arrest.

            It was around 2:30 in the afternoon and I hadn't eaten yet. I knew I was pushing it being out in the open, but I really figured the attack on Fangtasia was about David, so I tried to stay close to the hotel. I found a little place to order a shrimp po'boy and washed it down with a coke. New Orleans is quite a place to visit, no matter how many times you've been here. I didn't really think about where I was going, but ended up in my favorite place, Jackson Square. If I was going to get a moment of relaxation, it would be there.

            Between the Mississippi River and the great Cathedral, I just sat on a bench and breathed. I felt better after a few minutes, and then I smelled heaven. My sense of smell had definitely improved with the blood Eric and I were sharing. I knew I should head back, but my feet took me straight to the smell. Café Du Monde. Mmmmmm….chicory coffee. I didn't have room for a beignet after the po'boy, but I always had room for café au lait. I ordered two to go and headed back to the hotel to wait for my Viking to wake and give him the news.

            I set the spare coffee down and made my way into the bedroom. Eric's cheek was twitching a little bit; I loved to watch him wake up. I sat down on the window seat and sipped the coffee while I waited for him to move a little more and start to stretch.

            He sensed me, stretched and sighed, "I do not want to know, Lover."

            "I think you do."

            "No, I do not want to know why you are not naked and in my bed."

            His naked body was seriously inviting, but I held it together. "I don't think we have time for that right now. You need to call Barry as soon as you can function. There was a problem last night at the bar."

            He rubbed his face a little and rolled onto his stomach and looked at me, "A problem involving money or blood, humans or vampires?"

            "Blood and vampires. Well, and a few human patrons, but everyone is okay. Call Barry. It sounds like the attack was aimed at your new bartender."

            "The male?"

            "Yes, his name is David."

            He huffed a little and rolled over to reach for his phone, thinking to himself that running a bar was a gigantic pain in the ass. I went back out in the living area and drank my coffee while reading the newspaper that had been outside our door.

            A few minutes later, Eric wandered into the living area, still naked, and still on his phone. "Yes, thank you. We'll see you shortly." He hung up and sighed as he grabbed a blood and put it in the microwave.

            "Lover, we've had a slight change in plans."

            "Are we going home?"

            "That is very much what I would like us to do, but no. The king is dismayed about what happened in Shreveport, but he wants me to stay here as planned through tomorrow."

            "He wants _you_ to stay?"

            "No, Sookie," he sighed and I could tell he was tense, but really, the king was pissing me off. "He wants us both to stay. However, he is concerned about the possibility of something happening this evening and wants you to stay at the hotel during the trial. I'm afraid that I have to say I agree with him."

            I nodded. "I kind of figured after I talked to Barry."

            He glanced at my coffee. "Yet you went into the city for a coffee run?"

            I smiled. "Yup, took full advantage of my freedom. I got a sandwich too."

            He laughed and sat next to me on the couch shaking his head. "I am sorry. I have been worried about your coming to the trial. There will only be a handful of humans there and I was afraid that some vamps might be upset with your presence, but I was sure we could handle it. With this added threat though, we cannot risk having you there. Ellsey will stay with you. You can go to the spa or the gym, or just wait here. It's up to you, as long as you stay in the hotel. It will be the safest place."

            I nodded; it wasn't really worth fighting about. "So, is the king sorry he was so rude to me last night?"

            Eric just looked at me blankly for a second; sometimes he forgot that small slights were stored in the human mind so easily. "I'm sure he is, Lover," he tried to cover. "He has been greatly enjoying flaunting his superiority as king here in Louisiana. He meant nothing by it."

            "Sure," I said sarcastically. I took a deep breath and focused on what was important to me, Eric. "So, you're going to have to go soon, how long will everything take?"

            "I will meet everyone at the warehouse in an hour for the final preparations, then Simon will have Booker moved to meet us there. Depending on how many people Felipe has found to speak against the captain, it could take an hour or two. Remember though, there are a few other cases that will go first. The King decided he wanted to host a full tribunal of cases in the area while he was here."

            "Power trip, much?"

            "Sookie. You must learn not to say such things."

            "I don't say them to anyone but you."

            He put his arms around me and laid me back on the couch. "Yes, but you might have a slip of the tongue someday," he said into my ear as his own tongue began slipping in and around my ear and his hands worked the buttons on my shirt.

            "You have to get ready to go."

            "I'm fast, remember?"

            "Yes," I sighed as his tongue found my breast, "But maybe it would be faster if we did this in the shower?"

            "Mmmmm…I like the way you think." He pulled me up to standing and finished removing my clothes. He was already naked, so he put me over his shoulder and took me to the bathroom so we could fully appreciate the rain water showerhead and each other.


	18. Crime and Punishment

            Ellsey and I spent a few hours in her hotel room looking over catalogs to order new inventory for her shop. Around 2 a.m. there was a knock at the door and I excitedly thought Eric was back, although I couldn't hear him thinking. But no, the door opened and Ellsey was swept into Seamus' arms and a hot kiss. After a moment, I cleared my throat. I didn't want them starting anything until I could get out of there to give them privacy.

            Seamus stepped back, still holding her in his arms, and his eyes searched for the noise. He found me and grinned, "You are a serious cock block, woman."

            I laughed and followed him as he led us toward the couch and sitting area. "So, is it over?"

            "All but the crying," he joked. "Yeah, the tribunal was fast, but nasty. They came up with some new punishments." He shuddered and continued, "The Viking should be back soon."

            "How was the trial part?"

            "The sea dog? Well, his maker showed up, and let's just say that didn't go over well."

            "His maker showed up to defend him?"

            "Ah, no. She wanted to kill him."

            "Felipe?" Ellsey gasped.

            "No, Booker. She said she would not be responsible for this or any future infractions the fool was to make. After a little pushing and shoving to get her to the front, and then some yelling and finger pointing, it all worked out. Felipe was quite pleased that she was so upset with her child."

            "What did they decide to do to him?" I asked.

            He winked. "Super secret vampire politics."

            "They're killing him? Sending him to the sun?"

            "Something like that. I think I'll let Eric give you the details as he sees fit."

            There was another knock on the door and Seamus let Eric in. I stood to meet him and he pulled me into his arms, kissing me fiercely. Whoa.

            _Lover, I need you. Now. Let us go._

            I turned to say goodbye and noticed Seamus already had Ellsey on the couch and was beginning to take her clothes off. Okay then. I grabbed my room key and phone and led Eric out into the hallway. Luckily our room was on the same floor, because my shirt was shredded by the time we got there.

            We were barely inside the door when Eric had me on the floor and was ripping at my clothes. His pants were open and he was inside of me in an instant. He was biting me all over, taking little nips and sips and muttering in that ancient language I still didn't know. Then he sank his fangs into my jugular and we both came. I was shuddering and Eric was growling as he drank. When I could breathe again he began brushing the hair out of my eyes and gently feathering kisses on my eyelids and nose.

            He looked me in the eye for a moment and then sat up a little, drawing his fingernail across the tight skin on his chest. I held his eyes as long as I could and then moved forward to drink. He moaned a little and began moving slowly inside of me again. I licked at his wound and matched his slow rhythm. We took our time, and I came again as I felt his body tense for his own release.

            We rested together for a few minutes there on the floor, and then he carried me to the bed. He sighed as he put his arms around me but didn't say anything.

            "Eric, is everything alright?"

            "Yes, Lover. This whole weekend has just reminded me of what my life used to be like, and I had to get back to you and know that what we have now is real."

            I held his hands and tightened his arms around me. "It's real, Eric. I'm not going anywhere."

            "Neither am I, Lover. Neither am I."

            We stayed like that for a while, just being together. Finally, I rolled over and faced him, putting my hand on his cheek. "Tell me what happened tonight at the trial."

            He looked me in the eyes and smiled sadly. "What did Seamus say?"

            "He told us the Booker's maker showed up to kill him but Felipe wouldn't let her. He didn't tell us the outcome of the hearing. He said it was up to you to give me the details."

            "Yes. Felipe was pleased Seychelle showed up to reprimand her child, but he would not give her the glory or the power to finish things. After a number of people testified against him, Booker began to look worse and worse. It sounds like he is the one that brought Lars into the plan. The king called him a traitor and a terrorist and announced he would be sent to meet the sun, chained to a tree in the bayou. That way either the sun or the gators will finish him."

            "That is disgusting."

            "Be glad I was not assigned to guard him from some kind of hunting blind to be sure he meets his final death. Simon was given that task."

            "Eew. You guys are brutal."

            He chuckled a little and leaned over to kiss me. I heard his cell phone start ringing in the other room with our abandoned clothes. Guns 'N Roses "Sweet Child of Mine" was blaring.

            I sighed, "That's Pam's ring tone. You'd better go get it."

            Eric pulled on some pants and listened as Pam gave him a more accurate run down of the damage and injuries incurred the night before at Fangtasia. I cleaned up our torn clothing by the door and changed into some pajamas. Using the hotel phone, I ordered room service for a snack and waited to get an update from Eric.

            He was just hanging up the phone when someone knocked on the door to our suite. I could not hear anyone thinking outside so I had no idea who it was, but clearly it was a vamp. I started to walk towards the entry, and Eric gently pushed me out of the way.

            "No, Sookie. I will see who it is." He was sending soothing thoughts through the bond but I could tell he was still on alert; apparently the trial and the attack at home last night were heavy on his mind.

            When the door opened, I was glad that Eric had pushed me away. I couldn't have been responsible for my salutation (word of the day) upon greeting the king. I was tired of his crap and ready to go home, but I knew we had at least one more event to attend for Felipe before we could leave the following evening.

            "Northman, Miss Stackhouse," he said as he entered with his body guard. "I hope you had a pleasant evening at the hotel, Miss Stackhouse."

            I was really over him this weekend, but maybe he was trying to be nice. "Yes, your highness. It was lovely."

            "Eric, I have some final things to discuss with you before the closing gathering. I need you to come to the board room with me."

            Eric nodded and gave me a quick kiss before following the king out the door. It was about 4 a.m. and we had an hour until the closing ceremony, or whatever Felipe wanted to call it. From what I could get out of Eric and Ellsey it was basically a toast and nothing more. With Eric gone I was anxious to hear what Pam had to say about the attack on Fangtasia, so I called her myself.

            "Sookie. Are you asking me to repeat myself?"

            "Yes, Pam. Eric left with Felipe and I just wanted to find out if there was anything I should know?"

            "I do not believe there is anything specifically for you to worry about. Barry seems to be correct that the attack was aimed at David. Felicia is saying it is related to your curse, but she says it may be lifting since no one was killed."

            I asked about the humans that had been injured, and Pam assured me they had been contacted and informed that Eric would cover all of their medical bills. Two waitresses had quit because of the attack, but there was always a line of fangbangers ready to step in. Repairs had begun, and she expected David to be up and around the following evening. He was staying in a secret location on Eric's property and would not be allowed to leave until he had spoken with Eric. She did not recognize any of the vampires, but had already sent security footage to Bill to see if he could identify anyone in his data base.

            I let her get back to supervising the contractors and finished getting ready for the king's farewell.

            I'm not sure how much later it was, but the next thing I knew, Eric was lifting me from the couch and carrying me to bed. I sighed and muttered something about the toast and he laughed, telling me I had slept through it. He got us undressed and laid down with me, promising me we would go home when we woke up.

            The reality was we left when he woke up, but either way, we were on the road. We stopped at the bar before going to the house to check on the damage and the progress of repairs. Several windows were boarded up as we drove past the front of the bar, and I could feel Eric's anger rising.

            When we entered Fangtasia, he was thoroughly upset about the damage to the actual bar itself. Apparently he had salvaged it from somewhere in Key West that had been destroyed in a hurricane. It had been a beautiful bar made of mahogany, but now it was being removed piece by piece. Eric was carrying-on to Pam in another language and pointing at things in a catalog. I don't think he was pleased with some of her decisions, but you had to admit, she had the crews working hard to get the place back open.

            After Eric had calmed down a bit, we headed for the house. Pam was following us, and Bill was already there. He had apparently been chosen to wait for David to wake up and to keep him there for our arrival.

            We were sitting in the dining area and Eric was ready to start interrogating David to find out what he knew when Seamus arrived. He gave Pam a hug and came in to the dining room.

            "Just checking in, Sheriff. I intend to spend some time in your district, so I thought I'd stop by on my way to Ellsey's."

            "How very proper of you," Eric said with a slight smile. "You may even be of use. Did you hear about the attack on my bar last evening? It seems our new bartender was the target."

            "I heard a little…" he started, but then he seemed to get a good look at David. "Oh shit." He looked right at the bartender. "You are so screwed, kid."

            If looks could kill the undead, David would have met his final death right then. Eric was practically fuming. "Seamus, do you know David?"

            "I don't _know_ him. I remember him from a vamp bar in Buckhead outside of Atlanta. That was, oh, five years ago?"

            "And why is he, as you said, screwed?"

            Seamus actually chuckled. "Because if he's your new bartender and he's the reason your bar got attacked, then he didn't come to you honestly." He looked at David and shook his head. "You may have covered your tracks, but you didn't do any research on who hired you. The Viking will kill you himself before allowing you to bring this shit down on him."

            Pam interjected with a look of dread on her face. "What bar in Buckhead?"

            "The Bait Shack."

            There was a collective tensing of the vampires in the room. Pam hissed and Bill gasped while Eric practically came out of his chair. All of the calm I could send meant nothing. I had no idea what was happening, what this Bait Shack meant, but it was bad.

            Through gritted teeth, Eric spoke to David. "Explain. Now."

            David put his chin up. "I quit, that's all. And I moved here."

            Eric actually laughed, but it was not a pleasant sound. "You don't just _quit_ working for Gill. How long were you on his circuit?"

            Still defiant, David said, "Fifteen years."

            "Then you clearly know that quitting wasn't an option. Why did you leave?"

            "I was done."

            "You would rather meet the sun than work for Gill anymore? Because that's what will happen when he catches up with you." Eric shook his head, "Did you expect me to protect you? You are nothing to me."

            "I was hoping I wouldn't get caught."

            Pam spoke up, "I know that Gill believes his staff is his property, but this one isn't even a great bartender. Sure, he attracts women, but he can't mix a drink to save his life. Why come after him?"

            David's shoulders slumped a little, and I recognized something human in him. She was right – it wasn't about the drinks. I felt sick, but I knew I was right. He'd been used.

            "What did you do besides work behind the bar?" I asked.

            His eyes flew to mine and then hit the floor. I think if I hadn't been drinking Eric's blood regularly I wouldn't have seen it. No one else seemed to understand. Eric was thinking about how soon he could turn David over to Gill. Bill and Seamus were searching for something using the laptop, and Pam was looking me like I had lost my mind.

            I put my arm on Eric's shoulder and told David, "Take a walk outside with Thor."

            Eric turned to me with a questioning look on his face.

            I thought hard at him, _We need to talk. You can't turn him over to Gill._

            _What? Lover, you can't save him._

            _Eric, send him outside. Please. I'll explain._

            _Fine._ And though I knew he thought I was delaying the inevitable, he turned to David and spoke, "Bartender, go outside with the beast. I'll call you in a moment."

            David and Thor headed out the sliding door, and everyone looked at me. "You really don't get it, do you?" I said looking around. "It's not about the bartending." Seamus finally seemed to catch on. I could see it in his eyes, but no one else. "If you look that good and you can't make a great drink, how else would someone use you?"

            "Agh. I can't even believe Gill would be so low," Seamus said.

            Eric was looking at me like if he stared hard enough he would figure it out. "What?"

            "They used him as a whore," Seamus said, rolling the 'r.' The word didn't sound any better with his slight Irish brogue.

            "Sookie, you always think the worst, and you have such a vivid imagination," Bill said with disbelief.

            Pam looked like someone had poured cold water over her. Vampires were sexual creatures, but it was always on their own terms.

            Eric raised his eyebrows at Seamus and me. "That is an interesting theory. Is there evidence of Gill doing anything like this in the past?"

            Seamus shrugged his shoulders. "You know Gill. I don't believe his business practices are entirely on the up and up, but I haven't heard anything like this. But I do think Sookie is right. What kind of references did he give you?"

            "I called bars in three major cities," Pam said. "He checked out fine."

            "But none of them were owned by Gill?"

            "No. They were smaller bars, mostly human owned by AVL supporters."

            Eric was piecing the puzzle together. "So he moonlighted to put enough money away to escape and build a resume."

            Bill was shaking his head. "How did he think he'd get away with it? We've all heard stories about what happens when someone leaves without a trade from one of Gill's bars."

            I put my hand up. "Sorry to be the human in the bunch, but I haven't heard the stories. Who is Gill, and why is he such a bastard?"

            Eric sighed, but Seamus spoke, "He's a well know club owner in the vamp world. He owned big clubs in major cities even before the reveal. Now they just draw more people, humans and vamps alike. You name it; he's done it. During prohibition he made bathtub gin and ran moonshine out of the Appalachians. He's had illegal gambling in a lot of his places, but now he owns a casino in Atlantic City.

            "His philosophy as far as his vamp staff goes is that they are all his children, and he's a possessive parent. You don't apply for a transfer, ask for a promotion or quit when you work for him. Gill makes those decisions and let's you know. If he doesn't like you he trades you for someone else with another bar owner."

            Pam continued for him, "There's a story about a waitress that was called by her maker while working his club in New York City. The bar he owned then was in Times Square and it was packed all of the time. You've heard us say that you cannot deny it when your maker calls. You _must_ go."

            Oh, I knew alright. Bill had abandoned me for that bitch maker of his, thanks for reminding me.

            She went on, "The waitress didn't know what to do but was so drawn by her maker that she left a message for Gill and headed out of the city. His henchmen caught up with her outside of Chicago. After they killed her again, he sent money to the Kings of both Illinois and New York State that basically doubled what he would have been fined. At the time we weren't totally organized, so nothing really came of it at Tribunal, but he sent a message to everyone that he'd rather pay a fortune than lose an employee. By not paying her maker he made a point that his staff owe loyalty to him and leaving him was not an option."

            Eric ran his hand through his hair. "So losing an asset, like I'm sure he would consider David, in his stable would be quite a blow. He sent me a sign to send him back, or else."

            "Why didn't he just kill him?" I asked.

            "He respects Eric too much. He couldn't risk killing anyone else in the attack," Bill answered.

            Eric stood, "I believe I must speak to David myself. Pam, I will see you tomorrow night at the bar. Bill, please continue to research Gill's business practices. I'm intrigued that none of us have heard about this before." They both nodded and gathered their things to leave. Seamus stood and began to follow them. "Irish, it will be good to have you around again."

            Seamus gave a little salute and headed out.

            "Eric..." I started.

            "Yes, Lover. I will need to speak to him alone. Vampires are not modest by any means, but I will not ask him to speak the details to anyone else."

            I unpacked and checked my e-mail while Eric went outside. I glanced out the window and saw them throwing a tennis ball for Thor. I hoped Eric was not too hard on David and that we could find some way to help. What had been done to him was inexcusable.

            I was tired and really glad to be home. I wandered into the bathroom, the hotel had been nice, but there was nothing like the shower here. I turned on the water for a long, hot shower. About half-way through, I felt Eric coming closer. I took my time shaving and using my shower puff to scrub, but he never joined me. When I was finished, Eric helped me out of the shower and wrapped me in a lush black towel.

            "You okay?"

            "Fine. Come, I'll brush your hair while you put on the lotion I like."

            It was his way of saying he wasn't ready to talk about it. He seemed calm through the bond, but I could sense he was deep in thought. He led me to the bed and began brushing my hair after he towel dried it. I was totally relaxed and just enjoying the feel of the brush on my scalp as I rubbed lotion on my legs and arms.

            When he finished, he put his arms around me with a sigh. "It is as you thought. He was used to _entertain_ Gill's wealthy clients for years."

            "Is there anyway to help him? We can't send him back."

            "There are still some things I need to know before I make definitive plans."

            "Like what?"

            "I need to find out more about Gill's business practices, and I need to find David's maker. I have several ideas, but I will not risk harm coming to my people." He kissed the top of my head. "I don't want to think about it anymore tonight. Let's sleep. I need to hear your heartbeat and clear my head."

            I sighed and let him pull us up the bed to stretch out. I loved that the sound of my heart and breathing were relaxing to him. He said it reminded him of the rhythmic sound of waves. Sleeping with him was always better for me as well. The feel of his thumb rubbing small circles on my skin and the weight of his chest against my back relaxed me and put me at ease.

            "Thank you," I whispered as my eyes grew heavy.

            "For what?"

            "For letting me be involved in something you would have kept me from before."

            "We walk together now, Sookie. I meant that."

            "Together," I sighed, drifting off, but before I fell asleep I thought I heard him repeat the word back to me as well.


	19. Say Yah to da UP, eh!

            I woke up around noon and headed into the kitchen for much needed coffee. I stopped in my tracks, however, when I saw Claudine and another woman sitting on the deck. She seemed to sense my presence and suddenly there was a cup of coffee and a bagel with cream cheese on a plate sitting on the counter in front of me. Claudine grinned at me, and I headed to the deck with my food.

            "Hello, cousin. I wasn't expecting you," I said after my first sip of caffeine.

            "I know, Sookie, but it's time for your first lesson." I must have looked a little startled, because she continued right away, "You don't have to come with me for this one, if that's what you're worried about."

            "Oh, okay. Um, hi," I said to her friend. "I'm Sookie."

            She smiled. "I'm Adalia. Nice to meet you."

            Claudine laughed a little. "Remember the fairy statue Niall said was in your front yard in Bon Temps?" I nodded. "Well, since you haven't been staying there, we moved her here."

            I nodded again and Adalia stood to leave. Now I was confused, "Wait, are you the statue? I mean, you just turn into a statue and wait in the front yard?"

            She grinned, "Pretty much. Until you need me."

            "Okay, that has to suck."

            "It's a special assignment. I am honored I was chosen to protect you."

            I still wasn't sure that anyone could enjoy being a statue for weeks or months on end, but I guess if they went into a 'downtime' like the vamps did, it might not be so bad.

            "Adalia is here to help us with your first lesson."

            "Okay." This was all so completely foreign to me. I had no idea what fairy lessons would be like. "What are we going to do?"

            "I'm getting tired of masking your smell for you, so it's time you learned to do it yourself."

            " _What_?"

            "It's pretty basic, Sookie. You'll just have to practice."

            "No. What do you mean you've been masking my smell? I didn't think it had changed that much. I mean, the other vampires haven't really reacted to it…."

            "Constant cloaking, cousin. Thanks to me. And it's getting to be spring, which is sort of a busy time in my realm, so I need you to figure out how to take care of yourself, in terms of your scent at least."

            "I thought...But…How? I mean –"

            "Sookie, Seamus even sent me a message to step up my game and train you to do it yourself."

            "He did say I smelled like you."

            "Ha! He would! Anyway, it's time to teach you to smell all," she paused and made a face, "Blah. Human. Are you ready?"

            "Yeah, I guess so. Is it like magic or something?"

            "It's just...fairy. You have to remember, the Fae incantations are never spoken aloud like the chants Amelia does. Our history must be protected. So I'll show you the phrase and you have to concentrate and try to connect with the Fae realm and then repeat the phrase twice."

            "Easy enough."

            "Yeah, let's see if you can connect with the Fae at all. Think something at Adalia."

            _My cousin Claudine is crazy_.

            Adalia tilted her head a second and then shook her head. "Okay, I heard a mumbling. Close your eyes and concentrate. Not on where I'm sitting, but on communicating with _me._ "

            _My cousin Claudine is crazy_. It took three or four tries, but she laughed.

            _And she'll kick your ass with the snap of her finger!"_ She grinned. "Good job, Sookie! You'll have to concentrate very hard to make sure you get through to the Fae."

            "I guess I'm confused. Claudine, you and Niall always said you'd come for me if I called. You didn't say I had to concentrate."

            "That's because we're blood, Sookie. The message you're sending is on a different frequency, if you will. It has to get above the familial communication lines to be heard by the powers that be to work."

            "So how will I know if it works or wears off? I mean, before I get eaten by a vampire."

            Claudine closed her eyes and Adalia laughed at me a little. "You'll just know. You'll feel it."

            "I haven't felt it when you've been doing it to me."

            "Did you think I wanted you to?"

            "Umm… I don't know. Why wouldn't you?"

            "Cousin, you are suspicious, mind you it's usually warranted, and you're sensitive. What would you have done if you felt me shielding you?"

            "I would have freaked out and told Eric something was wrong."

            "Exactly. So let's get to it. I'll show you the phrase you need, and you can practice a few times."

            After about an hour, I was getting exhausted and having only moderate success. Claudine and Adalia had laughed at me off and on, but I could tell Claudine was beginning to get worried. We decided to take a break and she materialized a book she said I should read. I figured she would give me "Fae Magic for Dummies" or something, but it was just a leather bound black book. As I opened it, sure enough, it was a more sophisticated version of the For Dummies series.

            The book gave a brief history of Fae and Fairy culture and contained information on the basic skills even a partial fairy should be able to master. Scent Transmutation was listed as a beginner task. Nice. I couldn't even do that. Other things I would eventually, hopefully, be able to do included Particle Manipulation, Individual Mobility, and Atmospheric Influence. It all seemed a little too Harry Potter for me, but Claudine suggested I not worry about how difficult things seemed and focus on the fact that genetically I was more than capable, and my being nervous was just self-defeating. Easy for her to say.

            She went out front to talk with Adalia for a while and left me in the backyard enjoying the sun, flipping through the book and drinking an endless cup of coffee. I was feeling pretty down about my Fae abilities and worried that I wouldn't get the hang of things. I mean, I knew Claudine would keep helping me, but if this was supposed to be easy I was in big trouble.

            The two goddess-like fairies came around to the back of the house, laughing together and the sun glinted off their hair. They really were amazing creatures. We talked for a little longer, and Claudine said she would be back the next day. They made me promise to keep trying, although Claudine was going to be on alert and promised to mask my scent if needed, and they headed off in opposite directions. Adalia to her post in the front garden and Claudine, well, she just disappeared as she walked away.

            By then it was around 3 p.m., and I was hungry for lunch. I made a chicken salad and found some fruit. When I came back to the kitchen after showering, someone was buzzing the keypad at the front gate. I checked the monitor and it wasn't anyone I recognized. I tried to read his thoughts, but they were muddled. Shifter.

            I pushed the button on the intercom. "Can I help you?"

            "Hello, ma'am. I hope you can help. I'm looking for Sookie Stackhouse or Eric Northman."

            I had been around Eric long enough to know better than to confirm or deny anything without additional information. "And this is regarding?"

            I saw him smile; he probably didn't realize there was a camera in the monitor. "Alcide sent me. I'm his cousin, Luc. He said it was best if I spoke to Miss Stackhouse, but that the message needed to get to the gentleman."

            "I see, and where is Alcide?"

            "Ahh, that's why I'm here ma'am," he paused and shifted around a little and cleared his throat. "My cousin is in jail."

            Shit. "Come on up."

            I met him at the door and saw his nostrils flare through the glass. I closed my eyes and recited the chant Claudine had taught me.

            _Blessed be the Fairy Kings - the Earth, the wind the water. Mask my scent, but hold my heart, protect your loving daughter._

            I repeated the chant and opened my eyes. Luc was standing there pursing his eyebrows, and I knew, rather I felt, that he couldn't smell fairy anymore. He looked a little like Alcide, but you could never be too sure. Eric had taught me that. I cracked the door, but left the chain hooked and asked to see his ID. It read Lucien Herveaux and gave his address as Oil City, Louisiana. Before I could ask, he handed me a note from Alcide.

            In his chicken scratch handwriting, Alcide explained he had been arrested under suspicion of involvement in the attack on Fangtasia. The police had seen him around the building the day after the attack and had flagged his license plate. They had seen his car outside or driving near the bar several times in the next few days, and since he did not have any jobs on record that were anywhere near Fangtasia, they were suspicious. They were also just generally suspicious of Alcide based on his history. I shivered as I remembered the dead body he and I were found with a couple of years ago. Yeah, that hadn't done good things for his reputation.

            Barry had told the police that Alcide was a friend to the bar, but because they had not been able to speak with Eric, they insisted on holding Alcide for questioning. I had a feeling Eric would want to make him suffer, but hoped I could convince him to contact the police immediately. He would be waking shortly, and I knew he would want to hear the story from Luc himself.

            I smiled as I read the last line of the note, _Don't let that bastard make me wait too long._ I shook my head a little and invited Luc in.

            We sat at the dining table drinking sweet tea and waiting for Eric. I felt him wake up and stretch, his mind to figure out why I wasn't in bed with him, naked. Horny vampire. I made sure he understood we had company, but was not shocked to see him come out of the bedroom in nothing but a pair of unbuttoned jeans. He grabbed a True Blood from the refrigerator and put it in the microwave before acknowledging our guest.

            "Were," he growled. "I smelled you from the other room. What can I do for you?"

            Luc introduced himself, and Eric sat with a groan as the Were began to explain Alcide's situation. When he finished, Eric was angry but still amused by the thought of Packmaster Herveaux behind bars.

            "So let me get this straight, Barry explained to the police that he was speaking on my behalf and they still arrested your cousin?"

            "Yeah. Apparently, no one felt they could risk believing Barry. They felt that if he wasn't really speaking for you that they would all be dead, or wish they were."

            Eric grinned a little at that, but continued, "Do you know if Barry showed them documentation of his status as my daytime man?"

            "No, sir. I'm not privy to that kind of information. I just know they spoke to Barry more than once."

            _Stupid bloodbags,_ he thought. "Sookie, it is a miracle your human police ever solve a crime."

            "Yes, well," I said with a shrug. "What are you going to do for Alcide?"

            Eric shook his head and flipped open his cell phone as he said, "I'm calling the local vampire detective to see where he's buried his common sense." After a few seconds, he began speaking in super-fast vampire voice, and I had no idea what he was saying. He would pause occasionally and I would hear maybe the first word as he started into another tirade. There were a lot of "No's," and a few "Never's" throughout the conversation. Then suddenly, he closed his phone and it was over.

            He didn't look like he was going to explain, so I had to ask, "OK, what did you find out?"

            He sighed. "Eben, the vamp detective that consults with Shreveport P.D., was out of town over the weekend. By the time he got back to town, the police had decided Alcide was a good suspect no matter how many times he explained to them that they needed to listen to Barry before Alcide or I sued them."

            "Will they release him now?" Luc asked, seeming hopeful.

            "He'll be out first thing in the morning. All charges will be dropped and nothing will appear on his record. Eben asked me to have Barry fax over the document indicating he is my daytime man so it can kept on file for Fangtasia."

            Luc was relieved, but I knew Eric had not even asked to get Alcide out any sooner. Ah, well, we had enough going on dealing with the David debacle (word of the day – how fitting?). Luc thanked Eric several times and left quickly. I'd never met him before, but Weres and vampires were not the best of friends on any occasion, so I was sure he just wanted to get out of there. Eric chuckled at his hasty retreat, but didn't do anything to encourage him to stay.

            I stood and went to sit on Eric's lap, putting my arms around him and feeling the tension in his shoulders dissolve. He sighed and held me in his arms. "Lover," he said quietly, "I swear our lives will not always be this complicated."

            I laughed and kissed his neck. "Sure thing, Sheriff."

            He shook his head as he chuckled and then was pulling my shirt over my head when the doorbell rang. I had recently realized that some people didn't have to use the intercom at the gate, and Eric explained that Bill, Pam and Barry had the combination. However Barry and Pam were the only ones who could get into the house itself.

            So with the doorbell ringing, I figured it was Bill. Eric was muttering as he walked over to answer the door. Sure enough, he opened the door and Bill came into the house, giving me a nasty look because I'm sure he could smell my desire for Eric. But he kept his mouth shut and took a seat at the table across from me.

            He gave a report on Gill's business holdings and his key employees and guards. But the biggest news was that he had discovered who David's maker was, and he was on his way to Shreveport. Apparently, his name was Gordy and he was living in Northern Michigan but had no idea that David was still alive. He had called for him twice, but when he didn't come he figured the bad feeling he had in his blood confirmed that his child was dead. When Gordy found out David was alive and that he was in need of him, he had found someone to supervise his twenty-four hour coffee and doughnut shop in Manistique and was on his way.

            Bill said he talked funny, saying, "Yah," and "You betcha," a lot but was expected by the next dusk. It seemed Gordy was pretty fired up. He told Bill that David was his kin and that Gill was a dirty city slicker that had earned what was coming to him.

            Eric was grinning, and I was trying hard not to laugh. He had told me about a secret Supe getaway island up in Lake Superior, and we had watched "Escanaba in da Moonlight" so I could see how much snow there was up there. I had been most amazed, however, by the Yoopers, that's what they called people from Michigan's Upper Peninsula, who are oddly similar to Cajuns. They appeared to be an amazingly hearty bunch who hunted, fished, camped, drank beer, lived and breathed hockey - and they were a breed apart. Yoopers looked out for their own and didn't take well to trolls, people from below the Mackinac bridge, interfering. I could only imagine that a Yooper-vampire was super territorial, and Gill was about as big of a troll as you'd find.

            David came in from his backyard resting place, and Eric explained to us that Bill would be staying at the house while he went to the bar to check on progress. They were planning to open the following night, and he wanted to be sure everything was ready.

            I was debating what to do when Amelia called to say she was coming to take me out for dinner. Eric had smiled, and although I hadn't asked for his approval, his acceptance was a welcome surprise. I changed clothes wondering if Amelia had a problem or if she was just lonely, but I knew I'd figure it out as soon as I got in the car; her mind was an open book.

            I rode with Amelia to a restaurant owned by a witch she knew in Shreveport. Many of her friends had scattered after Katrina, and she hadn't seen Saturnalia in quite a while. Amelia assured me that was really her name, and that it wasn't one of those names that people make up for themselves during a crazy acid trip or something. The restaurant specialized in organic and vegetarian foods, but I was sure I could find something I liked. Amelia was trying to small talk about absolutely nothing, and finally, I just told her to stop because I knew there was something on her mind.

            "Fine. I'll just tell you, because I don't want you peeking around in my head like you do," she harrumphed. "It's Sam. I've been working at the bar a lot, and I think he has a new girlfriend."

            "Well, that's good."

            "Yes, but…Sookie, there's something not right about her."

            Oh, Lord. I wanted Sam to be happy. "I'm sure it's nothing."

            "It is _not_ nothing. I mean, it's something. She has the strangest aura I've ever encountered. I mean, Sam's is kind of more animalistic than most, but I've seen that before. But this girl, she is off the charts weird."

            I grinned. "Okay, so she's not right because she has a strange aura?"

            "Yes. And I want you to come to Bon Temps and try to read her."

            With everything else I had going on, there was really no time for a trip to Merlotte's. Not to mention I apparently wasn't going unchaperoned any time soon. Maybe I could get Pam to come along. I had a feeling Sam was dating a new shifter and she just wasn't reading right. Maybe she was purebred. Sam was going to be pissed, too if I went out there to listen to her. I was going to have to call him first and warn him so he didn't think I was spying on him, but now she had me concerned or at least curious.

            I sighed. "Amelia, if you're really worried about it I'll come out and give her a listen."

            "Oh, Sookie! You would do that?"

            "Of course," I said. Of course I will sift through one of my best friend's new girlfriend's minds. What are friends for? If I've learned nothing in the past few years, it's that friends are some of the most important people in your life, and you have to do what you can to help them out. Although, I wasn't sure if this favor would really be helping Amelia or Sam.

            What the hell is the chapter title?

            **Say yah to da U.P., eh!**  is a fairly common bumper sticker in Michigan. It's a parody of the "Say YES to Michigan" state tourism and shows an outline of the Upper Peninsula and the phrase, "Say yah to da U.P., eh!" It's a take on the dialect that Upper Peninsula natives speak, which is influenced by Scandinavian and French-Canadian languages.

            Also, I'm sure most of you caught the nod to Terri Botta's Let Love In with the super secret Supe getaway in Northern Michigan. I figured if we were bringing down the Yooper, it had to be mentioned. If you haven't read this story yet - what are you doing? It's the story that got me interested in writing fanfiction and really, it's how I wish things had gone between Sookie and Eric.


	20. Not Dead Yet

            Amelia and I finished our dinner as we chatted about the things that girlfriends do. It was nice just to be, and not worry about all of the troubles I'd been dealing with since falling back into my bizarre life in vampire-fairy land. It was nice and totally normal girl time, until we tried to leave.

            The waiter kindly informed us that our tab had been paid and pointed to a dark haired man with his back to us at the bar. Normally, it would be about the time I began to panic, but in an instant I realized who it was. In that same moment, the gentleman turned toward us and focused his bedroom eyes on me and my friend.

            Amelia gasped, "Oh my sweet Lord, Sookie! Who is that man and where can I get one? Wait, is he a vamp? Who _is_ that?"

            I couldn't hold it anymore, and I burst out laughing. Seamus grinned as he walked over with his TrueBlood. He moved his eyes to Amelia and I could hear her rampant sex thoughts as I introduced them. I shook my head, I hadn't really thought about how fast I'd left the house, but should have known Eric wouldn't let me go out unchaperoned with everything going on.

            Seamus pulled his eyes from Amelia's and addressed us, "Ladies, I don't mean to intrude on your evening, just merely making sure that two such beautiful women remain safe and sound."

            "Thanks, Seamus. I guess I knew better than to think we were really alone."

            "And I am glad to see you are not upset. Eric warned me you left in such a hurry with your friend that he could not tell you that I would be meeting you here."

            "Oh, no. It's okay. These days I actually do feel safer knowing there's usually a vampire in my shadow. Well, I guess it depends on whose side the vampire is on, but you know what I mean."

            "I understand. I am, as they say, at your beck and call this evening. Will you be continuing on to another venue?"

            I glanced at Amelia, who was blatantly staring at Seamus, and I knew she was trying to come up something to say so he would stay with us longer. I threw her a bone, knowing full well that nothing was going to happen between them since he was pretty tight with Ellsey these days,

            "Yes, actually. We're going to the Wharf for a martini and then home."

            Amelia blinked a few times and then nodded vigorously.

            "Wonderful. I shall follow you to the bar and then over to Eric's. If you don't mind, I may come in to see what decisions have been made about the bartender."

            "Sure. Thank you for dinner, Seamus. You didn't need to do that."

            He grinned. "I didn't; Eric gave me a credit card."

            -0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

            By the time we walked in to the Wharf I was regretting my decision to continue our evening and had to pull out my bitch card for a second.

            "Amelia – you need to pull it together. I am blocking you as best I can but you are projecting seriously pornographic images to me about a man that I know has a, well, girlfriend, and is part fairy so he sends out sex vibes to every woman he meets."

            She was looking at me like I was insane.

            "Welcome to crazy town, Amelia. This is my life. He is hot as hell, but things are not going anywhere with you and him, and I cannot listen to all of the ways you want him to take you for one more second."

            "Alrighty then," she said with a bite. "I guess I'll need a real martini now, not a fruity one."

            "I guess you will. Too bad Fangtasia is still closed, we could have gone there so you could hit on Pam for a while."

            "Sookie, I'm with Tray these days. I don't know why you think I'm interested in Seamus or why I would flirt with Pam."

            I just looked at her. Did she think I was stupid?

            "Well, I mean... I guess I know why you think those things, but I wouldn't have acted on any of those thoughts."

            "I know you wouldn't have. And I also know that hitting on Pam would probably be just foreplay 'til you got home to Tray. It's all good, Amelia. You were just getting a little carried away. It's the fairy in him."

            I flagged down a bartender to order two extra dirty martini's. God knew, I needed one.

            -0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

            When we got home, I entered the codes and had Amelia drive me to the house. She claimed she was tired and didn't want to come inside. Before she left, we agreed I would come out to Merlotte's mid-week to check out Sam's new girlfriend. We said our good-nights and I could tell she was anxious to get home. Seamus had her all sexed up and she was heading back to Bon Temps to find Tray.

            I could feel through the bond that Eric was in the house, but I didn't see him when I walked in. Bill and David were watching _Gladiator_ on the flat screen in the living room and Seamus had gone to join them. I heard clicking that indicated Eric was nearby using his laptop. I wanted to ask if there was any news about Gill or the plans for David but decided to wait for Eric.

            After a few minutes, I felt him come stand behind me and put his arms around my waist. He breathed in the scent of my hair and sighed so quietly I wouldn't have heard it if he wasn't right next to my ear. _Lover,_ he thought _. We need to strategize. I have an idea about helping David now that Gordy is coming, and I've decided how we shall deal with Gill._

            _Do you want me to go?_

            _No, Lover. You are a part of all of this whether I want you to be or not._

            I turned and kissed him gently, mouthing thank you before sitting at the table.

            "Gentlemen," he said over the sound of the movie and everyone seemed to know to join us in the kitchen. We sat at the table and Eric updated us all on the bar, that repairs would be finished the following day so they could reopen at dusk. Seamus and Bill asked a few questions about security upgrades and video surveillance that I didn't follow and then it was quiet again.

            Eric let out a breath he really didn't need and told David that Gordy was on his way. His head cocked at Eric's words as if he didn't understand. I was surprised by the slight changes of emotion I saw playing across his face.

            He furrowed his brow and started to speak but stopped himself. Finally he cleared his throat. "I'm sorry, Eric. You mean he's not dead?"

            Bill answered, "No, he's not met his final death. I spoke to him last night in Manistique. He's headed down and he is not happy with Gill."

            David shook his head a couple of times. "I called out to him, and I tried to get messages to him. I figured if anyone could help me, it would have been him, but I gave up. I saved money and figured I had to save myself."

            "He thought you were dead as well," Eric supplied, and it touched me that he knew that David needed to hear that. Eric continued though, all business, "Why did you think he would be able to help you? No other maker has been able to help an employee of Gill's."

            A faint smile appeared on David's face as if he was remembering better times. "Well, Gordy is part of this kind of mid-west alliance. They used to trade businesses and homes every fifteen or twenty years and kind of rotate around. Now they still do it when they feel like it, but with the Reveal, they've all sort of found a permanent place for now."

            "I've heard of them," Bill said quietly. "I didn't know Gordy was part of that group."

            "Well, they were kind of secretive even among other vampires. There's about twenty of them up there. They own everything from doughnut shops in the UP, to clubs in downtown Chicago. Anyway, I figured somewhere in that group they could find someone to trade for me, someone valuable enough, they could work for Gill some other way, not by being whored out. I thought if Gordy knew what was going on he would get me back. He's just that kind of guy; you don't mess with him or his children."

            "I believe you underestimate your trade value," Eric said, shaking his head.

            Seamus was shaking his head as well, "Bill's research indicates you're about 200 years old. Is that correct?"

            "Yes. I was turned in Hungary and then made the trip to America with a group of stowaway vampires including Gordy. He was truly a father figure to me; I was only eighteen when I was turned. In the old country I should have been married and had children, but I was living hand to mouth in the capitol. It would be Budapest, now. " He looked at me and then continued. "The country had been at war for so long, I knew nothing but soldiering and stealing, and then I was starving during the long winter. Gordy found me in an alley on death's door.

            "I think I wanted to die then, but he turned me and taught me over the next few centuries that life was so much more than I had seen. Sorry, I just never really lived when I was actually alive..." He looked sheepishly at Eric. "Anyway, I've worked in restaurants and bars since we came to America. It suits my hours and I made good tips from humans and vampires alike. I found I liked the larger cities, while Gordy wanted solitude. After a while, when he started his connection with the other vamps in the mid-west, I worked for the people he knew and we kept in touch."

            "How did you end up working for Gill?" I heard myself ask.

            "Hmmph," he shrugged. "It's a story that replays itself over and over in history, Miss Sookie. I wanted to get rich quick, and he promised me the moon. Like I said, I didn't know much of people except for killing them and stealing from them before I was turned. When I came to America, I learned that people aren't always honest, but I'd never really been scammed the way I was with Gill. He gave me assignments that seemed like promotions, but they were really just to introduce me to future clients. I worked VIP sections and private parties and had no idea what I was setting myself up for. "

            I nodded at him, understanding. "So what's the plan?" I asked looking Eric.

            He shrugged, "Believe it or not, I think I'm going to let this go through the chain of command."

            Bill and Seamus looked shocked and I was just confused. Eric didn't usually need an excuse for shedding blood, even vampire blood, so I had been sure he was getting ready to fight.

            "I'm sorry, what?" I asked.

            He laughed. "I think it is time that Gill was handed over to the authorities properly. Nothing like this has happened since the Reveal, or at least that we know of. What he is doing to David is akin to slavery and that is between Gill and Gordy." He paused and looked around the table at us. "But attacking my bar...that happened in my territory. Times have changed since the Reveal and we are held to a higher standard. His issue with me was business related. It didn't warrant violence in the least."

            He sat a little straighter and his voice dropped just slightly, making me shiver. "I am the Sheriff and the second in Command for the State of Louisiana. Whether he realizes it or not, Gill has just stepped on a hornet's nest. I think going to tribunal in Louisiana or Georgia will have consequences for him that he's not ready to deal with. It will be the beginning of the end of how he has run his business." He paused and smirked. "Mind you, if he shows his face anywhere near me outside of a tribunal I will send him to his final death." Leave it to Eric to smile about killing someone.

            Then Seamus said it. He's the only one who could have gotten away with it. "Are you getting soft Eric?"

            Eric's eyes hardened and his stare bored into the Irish vampire across the table. "I would gut you, but I know you are being facetious. I do not hesitate to raise my sword." He shook his head and sighed. "In my new role, I will have to balance my authority, to show my strength and my understanding of the politics. I have thought long and hard and I think that in this instance, the politics outweigh my desire to spill blood. Understand, I do not come to this conclusion easily."

            "What about me?" David asked. "You said that's between Gill and Gordy?"

            "I don't believe the Yooper would come here without a plan. And if he didn't have one before he left, he's working it out on the trip down. He may choose the same route I have, given enough people to substantiate his claim that Gill blocked you from him and he came to believe you were dead." He shrugged. "Or he might just kill the bastard and save us all a lot of trouble."

            Honestly, that was the option I was hoping for.

            Slowly the house cleared out. David went back to his resting place on the property while Eric finished talking with Seamus and Bill. I checked my email in Eric's office and then went to get ready for bed. Eric joined me after awhile and I set aside my magazine as he undressed and put his clothes in the hamper.

            He climbed into bed and rolled on his side to face me. His hand slid up my side and his hand tangled in my hair, his eyes focused on his fingers as they rubbed some strands together. I reached forward and put a hand on his cheek.

            "I think you made a wise choice. I'm surprised by your decision, but I think you're right."

            Our eyes met and he sighed. "It is not how I would like to deal with this situation. You know that, correct?"

            "Yes." I leaned forward and kissed him gently. "You want to go completely Viking on Gill's ass."

            The corner of his mouth lifted and he moved in a flash, trapping me beneath him. "I'll go completely Viking on your ass, Lover."

            "As you wish." I giggled. And he did.

            Gordy made quite an entrance when he arrived at Fangtasia around 9 p.m. the following night. Pam went to make sure things were under control, and I was staying tucked behind the bar, considering finding somewhere to hide.

            The tirade I heard from the entrance hall sounded something like this, "Listen you motherfuckin' Rusky, I don't care if you have a dress code, 'eh? I'm here ta see Eric and you'll let me in if you know what's good for you'n. Don't fuckin tell me I can't come inta dis bar dressed like dis. Dis Lou-fucking-isiana. You swampy rednecks ain't no better than me."

            Eric was coming out of his office and heading for the entrance when I heard Pam burst out laughing.

            "Ivan," she said dryly when she recovered. "This is Mr. Gordy. Eric is expecting him. And for the record, there is nothing in the dress code for customers preventing him from entering the establishment. The rule against ripped clothing applies to staff."

            Ivan responded quickly in Russian and Pam cut him off, "Nyet."

            I didn't understand a word of what she said after that, but from the look on both Ivan and his brother's face, I knew it wasn't good.

            Eric met Gordy in the bar area with a grin. He would never admit it, but he had a thing for characters. Look at the motley crew in our lives, me, Sam, Amelia, Seamus, Bran. Eric didn't like boring people, the more unpredictable the person, human or vamp, the better. The fact that Gordy had shown up in a plain black t-shirt with a flannel shirt that had its sleeves ripped off over the top was laughable.

            "Gordy, "he said, "Glad you could make it to, what did you say?" He cocked his head and smiled, "Lou-fucking-isiana."

            "Damn, Viking, I don't mean offense. It's been a long trip down here, eh?"

            "I understand. Come into my office for a blood and we will talk. David should be here shortly."

            I pulled a couple of bloods from the new water bath and headed back to the office area. He probably didn't realize the microwave back there was broken, again. Vampires could not understand that you couldn't put metal objects in there. I could hear them talking through the door and gave a polite knock as I projected my reason for interrupting to Eric before entering.

            "Ah, Sookie. I'd like you to meet Gordy," he said when I came in. The introductions were made, and I was thinking I should head back to the bar when Eric stood and held out his desk chair for me. He looked to Gordy and told him he would go check on David's whereabouts while I waited with him.

            "So, Gordy," I started, "Have you been to Louisiana before?"

            He gave me a toothy, not fangy, grin. "Sweet girl, I was in Louisiana before dere was a Shreveport."

            I chuckled a little. "Well, then it's changed quite a bit since then."

            He grinned back. "Human? Hmm. But you don' seem too scairt. Are you da Viking's?"

            "I don't like to think of myself as _his_ , but yes, we're together."

            "Well, now, don't dat make life interesting?"

            I simply smiled. Not sure how long Eric would be gone, I wasn't sure how deep of a conversation I wanted to get into with him. Just then I heard footsteps in the hall and Eric came in with Bill and David. Gordy stood quickly and went to his child. David knelt in front of him and in a flash put his arms around Gordy's knees.

            He put his hand on David's head, "Child, I thought you met da final death, eh?"

            David shook his head. "I knew you would help if you could, but I couldn't get away."

            I felt like it was a lover's reunion and really didn't think we all needed to be in there to watch.

            Eric read my thoughts and instead of ushering us into the hall, he interrupted the pair, "Gentlemen, I believe we have things to discuss."

            Before I could even react could Eric's voice was in my head. _Sookie, we are not human. There is business to be done._

            I nodded. He was right, there was little room for emotion in these vampire's lives. What Eric and I shared was not common.

            Eric explained to Gordy how he planned to have the tribunal system deal with Gill based on the attack on Fangtasia. Gordy was pretty vocal about the fact he wasn't sure the tribunal would enforce a heinous enough punishment on Gill. He wanted to see him killed. It took some persuasion, but Eric convinced him that as a Sheriff, he couldn't be party to a murder, at least this murder.

            I laughed a little in my head and got an evil look from Eric as he continued. He suggested Gordy meet with Gill, whom Gordy referred to as a slave trader, at Fangtasia with the Atlanta Sheriff. Eric would have some local vamps on guard and the two men could try to reach an agreement in terms of both David's worth to Gill and the infractions Gill had committed by keeping him from his maker. It all sounded very civilized, and a little too good to be true, but finally Gordy agreed, and Eric ordered Pam to make the arrangements.

            Eric and I went out into the bar and left David with Gordy to catch up, or just talk, whatever they really needed to do. Eric took his place in his throne and I sat beside him, just watching the show that was Fangtasia. I was thinking about how nice it would actually be to go back to Bon Temps for my reading of Sam's new girlfriend. Amelia and Octavia were renting my house and Sam had replaced me at the bar. I missed the small town and was looking forward to seeing it and my old friends. It was going to be a great week. I was planning to work a little at Ellsey's store and helping at Fangtasia a bit. Things with David should be winding down, I had a Fae lesson coming up, and I was heading home for a visit.

            _Your home is with me now, Lover._

            I smirked. _I know, Viking. It's just a word. Gran's house will always be home, my heart is here with you._

            He nodded and reached for my hand. I had never really imagined what life with Eric would be like, but now that we were together he continued to surprise me. He was kind and gentle with me, and, though it no longer beat, I knew that I held his heart.


	21. Memory Lane

            Sam and I hadn't talked much since I stopped working for him, a phone call here and there was all. He hadn't been happy with my decision to quit or the reasons behind it, in fact he'd tried to talk me out of leaving Eric, even leaving the area to get away from the vampires who seemed to get me into dangerous situations. It was hard to make him understand that what was between Eric and I was more than a passing crush without sounding like a love-sick teenager. I didn't want to tell him everything my Great-grandfather had told us, and eventually, we just agreed to disagree. We'd known each other too long to let it end our friendship, though clearly, based on how little we talked afterwords, it had put a substantial wedge between us.

            Things back in Shreveport were calming down. We knew who was responsible for the bar attack, Alcide was out of jail, the Tribunal was set for the weekend, but Eric still felt that I shouldn't come all of the way out to Bon Temps alone. I had laughed at that one for hours. _All of the way_. I'd made the drive more than a hundred times before I officially moved in with him, but suddenly it was too far and he was worried. I sighed. Men.

            After my conversation with Amelia, I had tried to call Sam and see what was going on with his new girlfriend, but I'd had to leave a voice-mail letting him know Eric and I were coming for a visit. I was a little nervous about seeing everyone at Merlotte's, but I hoped that after an awkward moment or two we would all be able to get back to normal.

            Eric said he wanted to talk to Sam about some distributor issues Barry was having and was more than willing to be my escort for the night. Whether his distributor issues were real or not remained to be seen, but I appreciated that he at least made pretense for joining me other than his need to protect me. Pam had probably been reading Dear Abby to him again.

            Amelia texted that she staked out the large, round table in the corner. It felt strange when Eric and I came in the front door of Merlotte's like paying customers, but I guess we were. I looked around as we entered, but didn't see anyone I didn't recognize and certainly not someone with a strange vibe. Sam saw us from behind the bar and indicated he'd be over in a minute. Then I saw Terry talking to the cook and realized Sam had gotten him to come in and cover for him.

            I heard Amelia thinking at me. _She's not here, Sookie. Do you think she's coming? There's something not right about her…_

            I had to smile. Bless Amelia for adopting Sam into her heart and being so worried but relax already!

            Sam gave me a big hug saying it was good to see me before shaking Eric's hand. He was just stepping back, when a thin, dark-haired woman came into the bar. I was trying to read Sam's thoughts when I heard Eric make a little noise and felt his thoughts go a little haywire. I stepped back and saw him staring at the woman with a look of surprise. That was really an accomplishment.

            She met Eric's eyes and walked towards us. Sam turned at the same instant and his eyes lit up. Oh Shit. This was Sam's girlfriend. Her thoughts had the hum of some kind of shifter, and it seemed that Eric knew her.

            _Who is she_? I thought at him, trying not to be jealous.

            _I do not know_.

            I gave him a look as she hugged Sam and he gave her a little kiss.

            Eric tried to clear his head and began again. _I don't know who she is, Sookie. The woman she resembles is long dead._

            Before Sam could make introductions, she turned and looked right at Eric with a grin. "So, you have not gone into the beyond? Great Grandmother is pleased that we are meeting. I feel it in the wind." Eric gave her a little nod and her words made me shiver a little. She continued, "My name is Pia, you must be Eric and Sookie. I've heard a lot about both of you."

            She really was a striking woman with Native American bone structure and coloring. Her skin was a rich café au lait color and her eyes a deep brown that you could drown in. Her hair was down to the middle of her back and had a glossy sheen that only Native American hair had.

            I was studying her a little while Amelia was freaking out in her head. _She is so weird! Her Great Grandmother knew Eric? That's crazy!_

            Sam chuckled a little. "I've only said good things about you, Sook. I swear."

            Eric narrowed his eyes. "You do not say the same about me?" Sam's body tensed and then Eric smiled.

            "So, you knew Pia's Great Grandmother?" I asked.

            "Yes," Eric said with a far away look. "It was a different time. She was a healer. She said she'd been given a sign that we would help her people in a time of need so she was not afraid of our kind. She was an amazing woman. It's an honor to meet you, Pia."

            Pia smiled. "She told many stories of the Viking who lived only at night and came to our fires. I would love to talk to you more about her sometime."

            I could tell what Amelia meant when she said she couldn't get a good read on Pia. When I listened to her thoughts, I heard the buzzing of a shifter, but also, a strange echo. It was like I was hearing more than one voice in her head. None of the voices were alarming, but there was definitely more than usual going on in there. I think I was actually hearing her ancestors as they guided her. I had never experienced anything like it.

            We chatted for a few minutes about how she and Sam had met at a restaurant and hospitality trade show. They laughed about how they had to travel to Kansas City to find each other when they both lived in Louisiana. Pia was a manager of one of the lounges at the Paragon Casino over in Marksville that was operated by the Tunica-Biloxi tribe. It was a couple hours drive over to Bon Temps, but she and Sam had been taking turns traveling and making it work. She had enough seniority to be able to get two or three days off at a time, and Sam had the luxury of being able to leave whenever Terry could cover for him.

            After a while, Sam, Pia and Eric went to Sam's office to talk about the distributors they used. Amelia and I weren't alone more than a second when she started in, "Okay, Sook. What's the deal with her?"

            "Amelia, you can relax. You can't get a good read on her because she's part shifter. Really though, she seems harmless. She has been thinking how cool it is to meet Eric and that maybe he can tell her some stories about her ancestors. She is really into Sam. She didn't even think about how hot Eric is, and I hear that from, like, everyone."

            "What kind of shifter is she? Is she a wolf or a bear or something? I mean, she'd be from a different pack over there; she could be anything, right?"

            I laughed. "I'm actually not sure what she is. I don't smell wolf on her, and my nose is actually getting good at detecting that. I could smell it on Alcide's cousin when he was at the house before. I didn't used to be able to smell it. Anyway, I can hear the hum in her brain of a shifter, but I can't put my finger on what she can shift into. I really think she's harmless."

            "Well damn. That's not nearly as exciting as I hoped for."

            "Amelia, she said her great grandmother talked to her on the wind and she knew Eric. That's enough for me to process tonight."

            They finished in the office and we all said goodbyes. Eric drove us back to Shreveport at the only speed he knew, frighteningly fast. His phone had started alerting him to voice-mails about half-way through the drive. He stepped into the living room to return some calls, and I could hear him thinking about how ridiculous that his cell service lapsed while we were in Bon Temps. He was muttering, vacillating between English and old Norse, and it made me smile.

            We were preparing for the Tribunal in the next couple of days, and I wouldn't be surprised if Eric wanted me to stay locked up in the house with Thor during the proceedings. He and Gordy had worked out their plan with Blake, the King of Georgia, and they would be prosecuting Gill to the fullest extent for all of the vampire laws, rules, edicts, or whatever you want to call them, that he violated. It sounded like there would be a lot of spectators coming to town for the event. Gill had pissed off a lot of people over the years and most were now willing to speak out against him, as long as the others were doing it too.

            I ran a bath and laid out some clothes for the morning since I was working a daytime shift at Ellsey's store. Eric came in to the bedroom as I was deciding which underwear would work best under my new leather skirt.

            He picked up a scrap of black lace. "I don't know why you bother, Lover."

            "Those are for daytime, Eric."

            "Yes," he said as he put his arms around me from behind, "but daytime leads to nighttime, and I don't like the way they slow things down." He moved my hair out of the way and was kissing my neck.

            "You could have fooled me. I thought you got off on ripping them off me."

            He licked and nipped a little at my jugular. "I do enjoy that, but could do without it."

            I was wearing a tank top and boy shorts that were definitely in his way as he slid his hands into the front of them. I was beginning to shiver a little, the anticipation building, as he caressed me softly and whispered sweetly about the way my skin smelled and tasted. He pushed the shorts down my legs slowly and the backs of his hands ghosted up my calves on the way back up. I gasped a little as I felt his lips at the base of my spine. Thankfully, I was near the dresser so I could reach out and hold on to steady myself.

            He stood slowly and ran his hands up my chest to cup my breasts. His thumbs automatically began running circles around my nipples, and I felt myself getting wet. He pulled one hand away and licked his fingers before he brought it back, pinching my nipple as he rubbed himself against my back. I reached an arm around his neck to hold him to me and pushed back towards him. He kissed my shoulder and lifted the tank over my head. I was naked and exposed while he stood fully clothed behind me.

            I turned to try to correct that problem and reached for his waist band, but he lifted me up and carried me to the bed, laying me out before him. I licked my lips as I watched him trail his hands over my stomach and down to my hips where he placed light kisses before he ever so lightly ran his tongue along my length. My mind was going crazy, I wanted more, but the sensations of Eric being so gentle were short circuiting everything. I wanted him to continue what he was doing, to do it harder, or faster or to do more, but he had to keep doing something.

            "Oh God Eric, I…"

            "Shhhh, Lover. It's alright."

            He continued to work me slowly, almost reverently. It was worshipful and amazing. Tantalizing sweeps of his tongue and slow circles with his fingers had me gasping and writhing on the bed. When he drank from the vein in my thigh, I felt tears run down my face as I came, and when he moved his mouth back to my center I arched into him and it started over. He moved up my body while I was floating and traced his tongue along my skin. He began kissing me just as sweetly as he'd treated my lower body, and I couldn't take it anymore.

            I surprised us both with my strength when I flipped us over and sat atop him looking into his eyes. They were as glassy as I was sure mine were and it fueled my desire. I hastily unzipped his pants to unleash his erection and took him in my hands, moaning a little as I imagined him inside of me. I was dripping wet and still breathing a little heavy from my orgasm. When I met his eyes and he reached up to cup my breasts, I lost all thought and _had_ to have him inside of me. I lifted up and impaled myself on him, shocking both of us. All sweetness was gone and we began fucking like the world was ending. I ripped his shirt up the middle and ran my hands over his chest while he slammed me up and down on himself. It didn't take long for me to come again, but he just kept thrusting into me until I felt his muscles tense and saw him clench his teeth. I leaned my head back and arched my back as he thrust the last time and he ground me against his center.

            Minutes later, he began laughing. I was lying sprawled out over his chest, with him still inside of me, covered in sweat. I raised my head enough to make eye contact. _What_? I thought, not having enough energy to actually talk.

            _Somehow, Lover, we managed to change roles. You managed to ravage me and leave me half clothed. That is usually my job._

            I smiled and realized he was right. I laughed. _It's the new vampire diet. It does a body good._


	22. What's Meant to Be

            I was at Fangtasia watching a table full of men and women play Farkel while Eric was at the tribunal. It was all very surreal. The humans were the significant others of some of the powerful vampires who had come to Shreveport for the big event. Someone much higher than Eric on the food chain had decreed there would be no humans in attendance, but they had waited too long to make the official announcement, so people had brought their humans into town with them.

            A few of the humans here in the bar were angry, having wanted to see first hand the vampire justice system. I couldn't understand that. While I wanted to be near Eric, I had no desire to be anywhere near a bunch of vindictive vamps while they figured out what to do with Gill.

            Eric had required Ivan and Igor and several of his vamp staff to stay at the bar with us. The human staff was there as well, serving drinks and milling around. The bar was officially closed; Eric couldn't risk anything happening there when so many powerful vampires would be tied up at the tribunal, and he had to provide security for the valued humans they had brought with them.

            A funny looking guy from New Jersey was sitting in the DJ booth complaining about the choices of music and two women with the largest silicone breasts I had ever seen were on the dance floor jiggling to every horrible song he played. We were all just waiting, and I was b-o-r-e-d. I released a big sigh and took a sip of gin and tonic. It was going to be a long night.

            I went over to the table and asked a woman who'd come with the King of North Carolina if she'd teach me how to play the game. Her name was Bianca, and she seemed to be the most normal of the group. They welcomed me to the game, and I let my guard down enough to see what they were thinking. A few were pissed it had taken me this long to join them, since I was, by default, the hostess. One guy was excited that he was going to kick this beginner's ass, and a couple of them were thinking the norm – about how they would like to strip me naked and get in my pants. Ah, humans. We really are predictable.

            A few hours later, I was getting tired, and I was getting tired of most of the drunken humans waiting for their vamps. When the Farkel playing group moved on to drinking games, I extricated myself from the table (word of the day, ya'll) and went to work behind the bar with Felicia. I was making Bite Me Martini's for everyone and it helped pass the time quickly. The two women with the giant boobs started making out in one of the booths (Yes, with each other) and the guy from New Jersey was filming it with his cell phone. I thought I might kill Eric if he didn't get back soon.

            I heard his laugh in my head and knew he was close by and hearing my thoughts clearly.

            _Is it over?_

            _Yes, Lover. I will be there shortly. The King of Georgia took a long time to deliberate since Gill was his subject._

            _Was?_

            _Well, he is not entirely dead yet, but you could not have thought he was going to survive… Sookie, there were too many charges against him. And I thought you were repulsed by his actions?_

            _Repulsed? Yes. Murderous? No. That's your department._ I sighed. _Whatever, Eric. I just want David to be okay when this is done._

            _Lover, because I know it is strictly humanitarian and nothing more, your concern for another vampire would warm my heart if it could_.

            Then it was quiet again in my head and I knew Eric must have been busy again. I got a couple of drinks from Felicia and delivered them to one of the tables. I was chatting with Bianca when I heard the back door slam against the wall when it opened. It did that if you weren't careful. My heart was speeding up, and I felt lust flooding my mind. I excused myself as I wiped my hands on a towel and made my way towards the door and the mind throwing dirty thoughts at me.

            Eric and a group of vamps came into the bar area. I didn't see Gordy or David anywhere. I went to stand by his side.

            "What happened?" I asked.

            He casually moved me in front of him so he could press against me from behind. He kissed my neck and whispered in my ear, "Wait, Lover. I'll tell you everything in a moment. This will not take long."

            _That's disappointing,_ I teased. I was remembering the last tribunal Eric had been to and the crazy sex that had followed in our hotel room. I wanted him with a force that I could not describe. Eric put his hands on my hips and inhaled my hair. I started to lean back, putting my hands on top of his. All I could think of was Eric. Well, Eric and sex. Stupid blood bond.

            He almost laughed out loud, but instead he rubbed his erection against my back. _You are asking for punishment._

            _Please?_ I thought with a little wiggle of my ass. I was feeling overcome with his arousal. I didn't normally behave like that. My nipples were hard, my thong was soaked and my breathing was fast. Eric growled a little and several of the vamps looked at us for a second but then their eyes went back to their own humans.

            Eric signaled someone to stop the music and thanked everyone for their presence in Shreveport and their support of Fangtasia after Gill's attack. He encouraged them to stay and enjoy the music and drinks and invited them to come back the next evening when the bar reopened to the public.

            Blake, the King of Georgia, stepped forward and said a few words about Gill's businesses remaining open as the American Vampire League reallocated them within the community. He was going on about how they would remain vamp owned, and I couldn't listen anymore because Eric was licking and nipping at my jugular.

            Pam came out of the hall by the office holding hands with a gorgeous female vampire who I didn't recognize and started to laugh when she saw us. Eric's head snapped up and they grinned at each other.

            "I'll see the two of you tomorrow," she said. Then she gave the woman a hungry look. "I might be late however, so I've asked Ginger to open for me."

            Eric nodded at her. "Have a good night Pam," he said in English, but then he finished in his old language. She laughed and headed for the door.

            Without a word, Eric grabbed my hand and we followed her out to the parking lot. I started to ask about David, but he stopped me, putting his finger to my lips. I heard his thoughts, unfocused and erotic. I shouldn't like tribunals, but I certainly enjoyed what they did for my Viking's libido, not that he needed any help to begin with. We stood still for a second, just looking into each others' eyes. I was tempted to bite the finger being held to my lips, but I sensed that Eric had a very weak grasp on his control.

            He put his forehead to mine. "Sookie, do not speak or touch me again until we get home. I cannot be responsible…" he trailed off with a shake of his head. He looked down at my breasts, and I saw a fog cover his eyes. Then he looked up again, focusing on my eyes. I looked at him questioningly. He stroked my cheek with a thumb. "Lover, please. I want to take you home."

            We didn't make it out of the garage before he had my clothes torn off of me. I was bent over the hood of the Corvette with him pounding into me from behind in a heartbeat. There was no romance or kindness; this was a primal mating for both of us. I couldn't have stopped it from happening, and I didn't want to.

            Eric was speaking low and fast in his native tongue holding onto my hips and pulling me back as he rammed forward. I had my hands on the hood of the car and was bracing myself for the impact and taking all of him in with pleasure. I came in a rush, screaming something that was supposed to be his name. He growled and pumped even harder and finally came with his own incoherent yell.

            He was barely finished with his climax when he pulled out and flipped me over to enter me again from the front. He was making longer and slower strokes this time and I was going crazy. It was both torturous and heavenly, feeling elated as he filled me and devastated as he pulled out. I rolled my head back and forth and tried to put my feet up on the car to get some kind of leverage. He moved a hand to my clit, and I felt shocks traveling all through my body. I was close and felt him beginning to tense when he bent down to drink from my breast and we went over the edge together.

            I don't know how long we stayed locked together in each other's arms. I was lying on the cold hood of the car while he was bent over, his head resting in the crook of my neck. I think I lost consciousness for a bit, and vampires didn't get tired, so there really was no telling how much time had passed. Eventually, he carried me into the house and to our bedroom. We removed the remnants of our clothes and stretched out on the bed, tangling ourselves in each other again.

            "Better?" I asked quietly.

            "Much," he sighed and nuzzled into my neck for a lick. Then he stroked my back lightly with just the tip of his fingers and stared into my eyes. It was intense and relaxing at the same time, which more or less summed up our relationship as a whole.

            After a few minutes, I sighed and asked, "What will become of David?"

            "Blake is going to take care of him. He has decided that David is owed a great deal, more than some of the other employees that Gill wronged. The bartender will be the new owner of several of Gill's businesses."

            "Wow," I said, thinking it was going to be quite an adjustment for David.

            Of course, Eric heard what I was thinking and relieved my fears. "Gordy is going to stay with him for a while and help him learn to run things. They will be witnesses when Gill is forced to meet the sun. They will be protected, but they will be there to see it."

            I couldn't think of anything to say to that. I wasn't sure if I'd really want to witness it.

            "He asked to Sookie. David said he had to be sure that Gill was gone." I nodded. "I offered to assist him with the bars if he needed anything. I know you will want to keep tabs on him."

            "Thank you, Eric. It means a lot to me."

            "Yes. Well...Sookie, about before. That was…" He paused and needlessly exhaled before continuing. "It is the adrenaline that does it. The tribunals, they make me agitated and the resulting deaths. I imagine myself at war in my youth. The feeling is...overpowering. You can not imagine the things I have done when I have experienced it in the past. But you and I are so attuned to each other right now, when it happens," he shook his head, "I have to be buried inside of you. I can not explain it any differently."

            I tucked his hair behind his ear. "Believe it or not, I understand. When you feel like that, I feel it too."

            He brushed the hair from my cheek and looked into my eyes. I barely heard him, but just before he kissed me, he whispered, "Soul mate."

            As the sun rose and his daily death approached, I knew he was right, that everything my grandfather had told us was true and more. We were always meant to find each other.


End file.
